


As We Fall

by Emika



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bisexuality, Everybody Lives, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Friendship/Love, M/M, Mild Smut, Multi, No Uchiha Massacre, Polyamory, Post-Canon, Slow Build, Slow Burn, minor politics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-30
Updated: 2018-09-07
Packaged: 2018-12-08 20:14:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11653908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emika/pseuds/Emika
Summary: “’I know your heart, Naruto-kun,” she said, plainly, quietly. “So, I know that you’re more than capable of loving them and loving me. However, I know my heart just as well. And it is me who cannot share.’”Hinata, convinced that she cannot share Naruto’s heart with Sakura and Sasuke, ends her relationship with him instead to spare herself the inevitable heartbreak. But her plan quickly derails into something far more turbulent when Sakura and Sasuke decide to show her otherwise and court her as well.Set in an alternate universe which is more crack than canon-divergent, ‘As We Fall’ follows Hinata’s slow realisation that love is not limited—but limitless.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> If you missed the tags, I'd like to clarify that this is an Everybody Lives and Non-Massacre AU. Which means that the Uchiha Massacre never occurred and that Obito, although still crushed by a boulder, was rescued and treated for his injuries. I have also made other, huge changes to the canon that I will clarify and explain as "As We Fall" goes on. So, without further ado, I present "As We Fall".
> 
> Enjoy!

She ended her relationship with Naruto on a Thursday. Her soul, she recalled, died a little that same night.

“I know your heart well, Naruto-kun,” she said plainly. “I’ve chased it for so long that I _know_ it’s big and beautiful enough for Sakura, Sasuke _and_  I.”

His head lifted, an autumn wind coming through the open window. It pulled on his overgrown, blond bangs, making him seem vulnerable. But, it was his wide-eyed, open look that killed her. “But?”

“But, I know my heart as well.” She set her hand against his chest, opal eyes unflinchingly certain as she lifted her chin and looked at his face. Her voice, when she spoke, was clear. “And it’s _my_ heart that cannot share _yours_. But I won’t make you choose either.”

Instead, she would remove herself from the equation entirely. It was simpler than the alternative.

“Hinata, please—”

She shook her head. “No, Naruto-kun. I won’t _give up_ on this. That’s our nindo, isn’t it?”

“But, you’ll give up _us_?”

Hinata cupped his face, smoothing out the creases around his eyes with her thumbs. Her heart was broken, perhaps, but her resolve was not. “The alternative is to make you choose,” she told him, her voice pitched at a volume a little lower than before. “And that wouldn’t be right.”

Naruto’s jaw twitched under her fingertips. “I can’t choose,” he said and she believed him.

“I know.” Hinata smiled. “It was Sakura’s hands who soothed every scrape and bruise and it was Sasuke’s hands who pushed you forward.”

His eyes fluttered shut and he leant into her touch. “But, _your_ hands held me up.”

“I’ll _always_ hold you up,” she promised, voice fierce and sure. “That will _never_ change, Naruto-kun.”

He swallowed and bent down, pressing their foreheads together. “I won’t be able to change your mind, will I?”

“No.” She could feel tears build behind her eyes. “Not in this.”

Naruto’s next breath rolled in shakily, but he willed himself to stand back. His blue eyes were sad, the light in them subdued, and that hurt Hinata all the more. A part of her wished that she had never agreed to their relationship in the first place, but another part, a _bigger_ part, knew that she owed it to the both of them to _try_. And, she had. She just wished that it hadn’t turned out this way.

Hinata took a wobbly step back. “I wish you the happiest future.”

“I love you,” he blurted, then looked ashamed as soon as he said it.

“I love _you_.”

Then, Hinata seized his apartment’s doorknob and fled. His door banged shut behind her and it sounded so _final_ that Hinata didn’t even make it halfway down the street before she collapsed, hands pressing against her face as her grief took over. Tears rolled down her cheeks in a steady stream. The moon, when she looked up, felt like it was weeping with her.

Hinata knew that she had done the right thing. After all, she had _seen_ them—in the classroom, out in the open, on the battlefield—and knew that there was no room for someone like _her_ in a dynamic like _theirs_. Ever since the Academy, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura were like one soul divided into three. Hinata would never _fit_.

But, boy, was she _wrong_.


	2. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura and Sasuke find out about Naruto's and Hinata's break-up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to apologise in advance about how stunted and disjointed this chapter feels. I'm still in the process of establishing the story's plot and overall tone, especially since I haven't written anything substantial or linear in some time. So, please, forgive me. Otherwise, I'd like to thank everyone who left a kudos or bookmarked this fic, it means a lot to me, and I'd also like to give special thanks to Applefritter for commenting! I hope that I'm able to provide a worthwhile story for everyone who is following this fic.
> 
> Please enjoy!

“He’s _never_ done this before,” Sakura insisted, trailing dejectedly after Ino. “I don’t even think it’s ever occurred to him before that standing me up was an option!”

The Yamanaka Flower Shop was a neat, tidied space that was lined with solid shelves set with potted ferns and herbs. The entrance was ripe with sunflowers and carnations, with daisies and irises; their petals fragrant and bright in a room that was otherwise accented in browns and creams. Sakura had retreated there after it became apparent that Naruto, despite his best intentions, had stood her up for their date at her favourite teahouse.

“It _is_ a little strange,” Ino, all long blonde hair and even longer legs, allowed. “But remember: he’s been busier than normal now that Tsunade-sama has stepped down as Godaime. Itachi-sama or one of the other Hokage could have called him in for a last-minute meeting.”

“I _know_ ,” Sakura droned. “But usually he’ll send a clone or _something_ to tell me that he has to reschedule. He’s never left me high and dry before.”

“That sounds more Sasuke’s style,” she teased and was swatted in the arm for it. “What? I’m just _saying_.”

“Sasuke would never do that to me either!”

“Yeah, _okay._ ”

Ino trotted around her mother’s store for a bit longer, trimming stalks and thorns, easing water into their soil, and rearranging pots around the room so the plants inside could soak in as much sunshine as possible. Sakura followed her at the elbow. Ino sighed.

“If you’re so worried, why don’t you go visit him?”

“Who?”

Ino looked at Sakura pointedly.

She shrank into her collar a little. Her cheeks were flushed an embarrassed, nervous pink. “What if he doesn’t like me like _that_ anymore? What if this is his way of telling me that we’re done?”

She considered Sakura for a long, drawn-out moment. “This is about Hinata, isn’t it?”

“What? _No_.” Sakura winced at how defensive she sounded. Her shoulders sagged. “Okay, maybe it is. I mean, she’s so _gentle_ and _kind_. And I’m so not _either_ of those. I’m short-tempered and rough and sometimes, I think Naruto and Sasuke forget that I’m a woman too.”

Ino hadn’t seen her childhood friend look so small and uncertain for a long, long time. It startled her. She’d followed this woman into war, had followed her command to the tiniest detail, and would do it time and time again. Sakura wasn’t some token neo-sannin. She was the real deal. But, right then, she was _just_ Sakura. Not the woman who had healed a thousand lives and who had protected a thousand more. _Just_ Sakura.

“This is really bothering you, isn’t it?” Ino asked, facing Sakura slowly.

Sakura nodded. “I’m happy that Naruto found her. Really. She fills out the dark spots in him that Sasuke and I never could. She makes him want to be better than he is. If that’s possible. But an irrational part of me keeps thinking: why wasn’t I enough?”

“Oh, sweetie.” Ino curved slender arms around Sakura, petting her pink hair with a delicate hand. “You’re enough. And Naruto knows that. He can be an idiot, but he’s not _that_ much of an idiot. He’s never taken a single soul for granted. And he’s not about to start with _yours_.”

Sakura clutched Ino’s purple shirt, face pressed against her shoulder. “I _adore_ Hinata. She’s the sweetest person. She agreed to be in a relationship with Naruto _despite_ Sasuke and me. And she never considered us the enemy or competition. Hinata just wanted to be with _Naruto_ because it made him happy and she never complained about _us_ because we made him happy too. How could I ever have these horrible feelings and thoughts about her when all she’s ever done is make the man I love smile?”

“I can’t really say,” Ino admitted, her voice soft as she gentled Sakura through her doubt. “But if I had to take a guess, I’d say it’s because, for the longest time, no one else has even registered on Naruto’s radar but you and Sasuke.”

Slowly, Sakura lifted her head. Her eyes were red. “What do you mean?”

 “I don’t know how to explain it properly,” she said, grimacing slightly. “You guys are so _other_ and _separate_ from the rest of us, that it’s hard to tell where one starts and the other ends. But at the same time, it’d be _weird_ and _unnatural_ for you guys to be anything except for what you are. I bet some part of you knows that too. So having someone else come into what belonged to _only_ the three of you probably did a number on your instincts.”

Sakura’s brow furrowed, but it seemed to make a little more sense to her. Ino knew that her best friend was, if anything, thoughtful. She liked to consider a challenge from all angles and in as many perspectives as she could manage. So, Ino knew that she’d, somehow, assuaged Sakura’s concerns. For now, at least.

“You’re right,” she decided and then sighed. “But that doesn’t explain why Naruto stood me up.”

“I can promise you it’s not because he doesn’t love you,” Ino added, almost flippant, as she turned back around to nurse a bouncy bouquet of different coloured petunias. “Like I said before, something probably came up. He wouldn’t do this without good reason.”

Sakura hummed. “Maybe I should go ask Sasuke?”

“He’s working, isn’t he?” Ino flicked a curious look over her shoulder. “He said something about work when he came in this morning.”

“Ah, shit. You’re right.” Sakura’s lips pursed. “And I’ve already missed his break, so I won’t be able to catch him until he finishes.”

“My point still stands, then. Go visit Naruto yourself.” Ino trotted over to the stone faucet and refilled her green watering can. “You and I both know that he lives five minutes from here. You can just walk under his bedroom window and have a poke around with your chakra if you don’t want to go inside.”

“Are you trying to tell me to spy on my boyfriend?”

“I call it behind-the-scenes research.”

Sakura’s laughter surprised them both. “Yeah, alright pig. You’ve convinced me.”

“ _Finally_.” Ino flashed a crooked smile at her best friend. “Because you’ve _exhausted_ me.”

Sakura shoved Ino as she left the store; right into a gigantic lily. Ino squealed. But Sakura’s laughter drowned her out; tinkering through the store like small bells as she trotted out into the open street. Konoha’s rush hour had slowed, the sun dipped a bit lower in the sky than when she had arrived, but the street was still peppered with a few people here and there.

Naruto lived in a quiet, closed-quarters neighbourhood that was popular among shinobi. Sakura had been there a million times since then and her feet carried her there with a practised ease.

The street was bare and Sakura climbed the stairs that led to his third-storey apartment without running into a soul.

Her fingers tapped on the door in a familiar rhythm; one that had been carried into adulthood from their brighter, simpler childhood. There was a loaded pause. Then—

“Hang on.”

She blinked. He _was_ home. Her stomach sank. “Okay,” she croaked, lip pulled between her teeth.

When the door, at last, swung open, minutes had passed and Sakura’s breath had shortened with each moment. Her round, green eyes were buoyed on his bare chest—the skin darker with a summer tan and the hair fine and sun-bleached—before she willed herself to look up.

Naruto wasn’t the squat, obnoxious boy she had met in the Academy.

His face had filled out, the lines clean and straight. He was broad across the shoulders but thinner around the waist; his hands and forearms nicked with fine, silver scars. He looked a lot like his father now, more than he ever had before, but for all that he looked like Minato, Sakura still recognised the Naruto that had pushed her into the arms of her dream. Except—

“Naruto?” Her earlier doubt dissolved. “What’s wrong?”

He tilted his head down. His blond bangs dropped over his eyes. He took a breath. “Hinata left me.”

The news, Sakura had to admit, rocked her to her _core_.

But she knew it was worse for him.

Sakura nudged him back into his apartment, her hand a hot imprint on his bare chest, and kicked the door shut behind them. She didn’t have much experience with breakups, least of all someone else’s, but she doubted that Naruto wouldn’t have let her into his house if he hadn’t wanted her there with him. Then, she realised that he wanted her to soothe his broken heart—like she soothed every other ache.

“Naruto,” she breathed, looping her slender arms around his neck. “You’re enough.”

“I’m too much,” he argued, voice rasping. “She told me that she can’t share my heart with anyone else. But she didn’t want to make me choose—not that I could have.”

“Not everyone can be us.” Sakura thrust a hand in his hair and stilled his head before it could drop anymore. “Actually, most people can’t. But that’s no one’s fault.”

“It doesn’t hurt any less,” he whispered.

Her hold gentled. “You have every reason to feel that way. You loved her.”

“I still do.” His eyes flicked up to slide over her face. She wondered what he saw. “She loves me too.”

She didn’t doubt him. “Heartbreak is like any other injury, Naruto. It takes time and care before it’ll heal. But it _does_ heal. You just have to let it.”

“I don’t know how.” He sounded hopeless. Her heart squeezed. “Sakura, please. Help me.”

Sakura didn’t know how either. Not really. So she did the one thing she _did_ know.

She pulled him down into a slow, coaxing kiss. He didn’t respond straight away, just let her lips move over his in gradual strokes. Then, his head dipped. Sakura clenched his hair and seized the kiss, even managed to maintain dominance for another moment, before he curved an arm around her waist and hoisted her off her feet. He pried her lips apart with a clever tongue and carried her to the back of the apartment—to his bedroom.

* * *

 

Sasuke ducked back into the Yamanaka Flower Shop after work; the sun a crescent on the horizon as it sank with a deliberate pace.

The store was a natural perfume; a subtle scent embedded into its woodwork. Ino stood behind the register that sat in the middle of the room, a scroll open on the countertop. Her head lifted as the bell tinkered overhead and her smile was a warm, gradual spread. Sasuke found that, as soon as she started to treat him as a human instead of a trophy, that he rather liked her company and quiet wit.

“I have your order out back,” she told him, sliding off to the door tucked away on the far right.

He’d ordered a custom bouquet—a neat bundle of larkspur and lilacs—for Naruto and Sakura. Sasuke had started the tradition a few months back—around Sakura’s birthday—and the three of them had carried it on a bi-weekly basis. He’d almost forgotten that week—too caught up in the Police Force and clan commitments—but he’d remembered that morning and made the detour. Ino had helped him decide, as she often did, and he was rather satisfied with the outcome. Yes, he’d been late to work, but he figured it was a worthwhile reason.

“How much?” he asked Ino as she trotted back in with a glass vase set with more than a dozen larkspur and lilacs, their almost-purple petals like ruffled feathers. There was a lot more than he expected.

“It’s on the house,” she promised. “Sakura came in earlier and mentioned that Naruto had stood her up. So I thought this was the least I could do for you guys.”

“Stood her up?” Sasuke frowned.

Ino, hefting the vase on the countertop, nodded. “Yeah, I know. Weird. And typical Sakura was overthinking everything, but I figured that he was probably pulled away on Candidate business last-minute and didn’t have the time to reschedule.”

“Probably,” Sasuke allowed, although he wasn’t convinced. “Did she say where she was going when she left?”

Ino nodded. “Naruto’s. She decided that she’d just check on the place to make sure. And she hasn’t come back, so I figure that everything’s sorted out.”

“Maybe.” He curved his fingers around the vase. “Are you sure I don’t have to pay for these?”

“Yeah! Of course.” Ino beamed. “You’re a friend. My parents won’t mind.”

Sasuke managed a small, barely-there smile, but his chest was tight with concern. “Thank you.”

He left the store not long thereafter.

Sasuke wasted no time at all to reach Naruto’s apartment and let himself in through the balcony door. The bouquet and vase had, miraculously, survived the trip.

He set it down on the table in Naruto’s pseudo-dining room and cast a look over the place. It was dim, the curtains still shut, and there were a handful of unwashed dishes in his kitchen sink. Which, if Sasuke had to be honest, wasn’t abnormal Naruto behaviour, but he sensed this was something else entirely.

He turned around and headed for the bedroom. The door was cracked open an inch but it looked dark inside. He’d sensed Naruto’s chakra—Sakura’s too—the second he’d walked into the neighbourhood. Sakura felt normal, cool like a spring breeze, but Naruto was faint—almost sluggish. Sasuke clenched his teeth and barged inside.

Naruto was sprawled on his front, asleep, with his covers hanging dangerously low around his hips. Sasuke took a moment to appreciate the wide stretch of his shoulders and curve of his ass before he slid dark eyes over to Sakura. She was lying on her back, asleep as well. Her breasts, a generous handful each, shifted as she breathed.

Sasuke felt the tightness in his chest uncoil a bit. They were safe.

He stripped slowly, meticulously, then slid into the narrow space beside Sakura. He almost made it without waking her, too.

“Sasuke?” She squinted through the gloom at him, small hand splaying wide over his sharp jawline. “I thought you were at work.”

“It was busier than usual but I finished,” he whispered back, thumb brushing the underside of her breast. “You two looked like you were busy as well.”

Her face burned, but her eyes, when he looked into them, were serious. His smile dimmed. “What happened? Ino told me that Naruto was a no-show at lunch today.”

“He was.” Sakura’s voice dipped. “Hinata ended things with him last night.”

Sasuke went still. He hadn’t expected _that_. “What the hell? I thought things were going great between them?”

“I thought so too.” Sakura sighed. “But apparently Hinata felt that she couldn’t share his heart with anyone else.”

“She didn’t make him choose, did she?” Sasuke didn’t think she would—knew her better than that—but love had a habit of warping people.

“Good God, _no_.” Sakura spared Naruto a quiet, albeit sad, look. “She ended things so he wouldn’t have to choose. She thought it was better this way.”

“That’s stupid.”

Sasuke dropped his face into the curve of her shoulder. She smelt like berries and wildflowers, but beneath that, was sweat and sex and _Naruto_. Now, Sasuke loved Naruto, would never want to change that, but Sakura was his first love. Of the two, he was more possessive of her.

“She should have known what _leaving_ would do to him,” he added.

“I think she did.” Sakura tilted her head a little so that his wandering mouth could find her pulse. “From what I can tell, she really struggled with this. In fact, I think this was her last resort.”

Sasuke paused. “Well, it’s not like we made it any easier.”

Sakura frowned. “We didn’t ostracise her.”

“Yeah, but we weren’t exactly _welcoming_ either.” He lifted his head. “Maybe if we had tried harder, included her more, then she might not have left in the first place.”

“You can’t know that,” she told him, softly, but Sakura couldn’t ignore the point that he raised. Still—

“It was just a lot to take in, at first,” she continued, looking away. “Until Hinata, it was always the three of us versus anyone stupid enough to stand in our way. Her arrival threw me off centre and by the time I got used to it, everyone had already settled into roles.”

Sasuke hummed a quiet agreement. “That doesn’t excuse what we did, though. As unintentional as it was, we still hurt someone we cared about.”

And they did. Hinata was more than just Naruto’s exclusive lover. She was their friend and comrade. Sasuke and Sakura trusted her; a feat that few others outside their year-group had ever managed.

“We should apologise.” Sakura turned to look back at Sasuke. “It won’t do much, that’s for sure, but I hope it gives Hinata some semblance of peace. She’s loved Naruto for so long; longer than either of us. It’s the least we can do for her.”

Sasuke sighed. “You’re right.”

“You’ll be surprised with how often that happens,” she commented, her wry humour resurfacing slowly.

He snorted. “Know-it-all.”

“Hey—”

He lifted her leg and slid into her sheath with a single, practised thrust. She was still damp from her round with Naruto, and she pulsed hotly around him. Sasuke’s head dropped back a bit, a sigh falling from his lips. She was so tight.

“Sasuke,” she hissed, lightly punching his shoulder. “A little warning—”

He drew out, scraping her inner walls with his cock. Sakura’s hand curved around his shoulder this time, fingernails biting into his skin.

“Still sensitive?” he teased.

“We were having a _conversation_ , Sasuke.” He could tell she was clinging to her control by a thread. “Don’t you think Naruto’s welfare takes priority?”

“He’s not awake. We can prioritise his welfare when he wakes up.” Sasuke pushed back in an inch. Sakura swore. “Look, the problem isn’t going to go away with a single conversation. Besides, we shouldn’t scheme behind his back in the first place. We’ll do this as a team. Like we always do.”

Sakura still looked conflicted for another moment, but Sasuke had enough of that. He seized her hips with both hands, then rolled onto his back; dragging her with him. She swallowed the rest of his cock, right to the hilt, like he’d hoped. Sakura’s back arched.

“You’re going to _pay_ for that,” she promised him, voice close to a _rasp_.

Sasuke’s smile was crooked. “I hope so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't intending in making this an explicit fic, but it happened naturally and I'm not sure why. In any case, I introduced a few terms and phrases in this piece that would have, no doubt, confused you. 
> 
> So, firstly, I'd like to remind you that I've messed with the timeline to an atrocious extent. Secondly, one of these such changes in a thing I've dubbed the "Hokage Ministry". For context's sake, the Hokage Ministry is a council or tribunal of active Hokage in lieu of the ongoing effort of the Konoha Council. I won't go into too much detail about them right now, but the acting members of the Hokage Ministry are Namikaze Minato, Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Itachi. Prior to the start of this fic, Tsunade stepped down as Godaime Hokage, which opened up a spot. Therefore, Naruto is a Hokage Candidate.
> 
> Obviously, I'll go into further detail as the story progresses, but for now, this is all I'm offering. Thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto learns that just because his heart is broken, doesn't mean his dreams are too. Meanwhile, Shino plants a seed of doubt in Hinata's otherwise unwavering resolve in what she believed was her one and only choice.

Naruto sat at his window, dawn softening the gaunt lines of his face, and pursed his lips in a tight frown. He couldn’t remember much from the afternoon before, the memories distorted and unclear in his head, but the bits and pieces he _could_ remember felt like fragmented touches. A sigh against his mouth. Thick fingers digging into his biceps. Soft, creamy skin. A jawline prickly with stubble. 

He shuddered and let his head fall back against the window frame behind him.

He had a summit with the Hokage Ministry and the Fire Country’s flashy daimyo in just a few hours. It wouldn’t do him much good to think about how delicious Sakura tasted when she milked him dry or how smug he felt whenever Sasuke turned over onto his stomach without a fight. But every time he tried, Naruto was all too aware of the garish hole in his chest.

He missed Hinata so much. Why hadn't he noticed her discontent before?

“Naruto.”

He spared Sasuke a quiet look from under his lashes. Naruto hadn’t even seen him stir, let alone wake up.

Sasuke eased upright on the mattress, chest peppered with purpling hickies and arms streaked with fading welts from Sakura’s long fingernails. His hair was tousled on one side and the other was squashed flat.

And for the first time since he’d lost Hinata, Naruto felt his mouth curve into a smile.

“You look like an electrocuted rooster,” he laughed, the shadows in his eyes disappearing for the moment.

Sasuke gave him a dirty look. “Look who’s talking.”

“Sakura gave me a helluva wake-up call,” Naruto grumbled, running a self-conscious hand through his tangled, blond curls as he recalled her pink head between his thighs.

Sasuke’s lips twitched into a smirk. “It was one hell of a show.”

Naruto, swinging his legs off his window frame, snorted. “I bet it was.” He pushed himself to his feet and stretched his arms over his head, the knots in his back and shoulders popping quietly. “I should shower.”

“Yeah, you stink.” Sasuke reclined against the bed’s headboard. “Plus you have that thing with the Ministry today, don’t you?”

“Unfortunately.” He sighed. “Honestly, I don’t even want to go. I’m no good at politics.”

The smile on Sasuke’s face cleared. “Itachi tells me that you’re brilliant in politics.”

A praise like that, Naruto knew, was not given so freely from Sasuke’s brother. Still. “I could be better.”

“Maybe. But that doesn’t mean you’re ‘no good’. You talked the Five Kage in circles during the War and managed to make them cooperate.” His frown deepened. “Where is this coming from, Naruto? I’ve never seen you doubt yourself before.”

Naruto glanced back out the window, his stomach sinking slowly. “I—”

“I hope this isn’t about Hinata,” Sasuke interrupted rudely. “She’s already stolen your heart. Don’t let her steal your dream too.”

Naruto started at that. “You trying to pick a fight, Sasuke?”

Calmly, a dark brow arched. “I’m not trying to do anything _but_ tell you the truth.”

“Hinata wouldn’t do _anything_ that horrible!” Naruto’s glare was hot and wild. “How _dare_ you even suggest the idea!?”

“I know she wouldn’t,” Sasuke clarified, voice even. “But look at the state you’re in Naruto. You just told me that you don’t want to go to your meeting with the Ministry because you’re apparently bad with politics. To me, that sounds like you’re giving up on being Hokage.”

Naruto gritted his teeth. “I don’t give up.”

“Really?” Sasuke spread out his hands. “You _haven’t_ left your house in days _and_ you stood up Sakura yesterday.”

“I—” His blue eyes flickered over to Sakura, still asleep. “ _Fuck_.”

“She was worried sick, Naruto.” Sasuke took a deep breath. “Look, I know how much Hinata meant to you. You always talked about her holding you up, but right now, she’s holding you _back_. You want to be Hokage, right? Well, you’re almost there. Don't let _anyone_ stop you. Even someone you love. Because the finish line is closer than it's ever been.”

Naruto’s jaw clicked shut. Although his chest ached, he remembered what Hinata had told him in the night before.

 _It was Sakura’s hands who soothed every scrape and bruise, and it was Sasuke’s hands who pushed you forward_.

Sakura had eased the heartbreak, soothed the dull throb in his soul, and now Sasuke had just reminded him of his _purpose_.

Naruto bit back his tears. Sometimes, he wondered what he did to deserve Sasuke and Sakura.

Sasuke climbed off the mattress with a deliberate slowness, then crossed the room to stand in front of Naruto. He cupped his whiskered cheeks between his coarse hands and pulled him into a dizzying kiss. Naruto leant into it, nipping lips and tongue until Sasuke had him crowded against the wall. Sasuke licked into the hot cavern of his mouth, the kiss slowing, then pulled back with a harsh bite on Naruto’s bottom lip.

“You’re a bridge, Naruto, whether you realise it or not. You’ve always offered safe passage over a turbulent current so that others can find their utopia,” Sasuke pushed on, expression softening. “The peace we have today isn’t because Danzō, Madara and Kaguya are gone, but because you united contradictory forces and turned them complementary.

“The other Candidates might have more experience, both out in the field and in politics, but people _want_ to follow you; people want _you_ to lead them. Because you’ll promise the world and deliver it.”

Naruto’s throat bobbed as he swallowed, a single tear falling freely. Sasuke, by nature, was a quiet man. He used words sparingly, but when he did, it was always for a reason. “Sasuke…”

“Somehow,” he continued, taking a few measured steps back, “you roped me into believing your dream as well.” Slowly, Sasuke sank down in a crouch in front of Naruto, an arm braced on his bent knee and his head bowed. “I intend to keep pushing you forward as far as possible until you reach your highest potential. Therefore, I, Uchiha Sasuke, pledge my loyalty to you, Uzumaki Naruto. I will serve your cause until I die.”

Naruto stopped breathing.

Sasuke peeked up between his bangs, cheeks burning. He didn’t regret his decision, but his embarrassment was hot in his blood.

Then, Naruto came back.

Carefully, he set a shaky hand on Sasuke’s bare shoulder. “I promise to honour your pledge,” he rumbled, pupils dilated slightly.

Sasuke nodded, then pushed himself to his feet.

Sakura, back on the bed, tossed on her side. “You couldn’t have proposed like a normal person, eh, Sasuke-kun?”

Naruto barked a loud, clear laugh that rang through his bedroom. His chest still felt hollow, Hinata an ache in his soul that would dull but never ease, but he felt a lot lighter than before too. His grief wasn’t dragging him down any longer. For that, he was relieved.

“Perhaps I’m saving the proposal for you, Sakura,” Sasuke hummed, sparing her a seemingly disinterested look.

She scoffed. “How do you know the man you just sold yourself too hasn’t proposed to me first?”

Sasuke considered Naruto warily. “You haven’t, have you?”

“It was going to be a surprise…” Naruto lied.

“Asshole!”

Sasuke tackled him.

Sakura’s laughter danced around them.

And Naruto smiled.

* * *

 

Hinata didn’t have Neji’s and Hanabi’s natural resonance with the byakugan but she was no blunted kunai. Kurenai-sensei was the first one to recognise that—to see a relentless power behind her gentle soul—and tended to the strengths Hinata did have.

She slid under and around Neji’s attacks. Her footwork was sure, certain, as her hips and shoulders rolled through practised, controlled moves. In another life, Hinata could have been a dancer, elegant in a way that few others ever were. Nonetheless, as a kunoichi, Hinata was near impossible to hit, her focus directed solely on evasion until she could find an opening. Her stamina, too, was better than most.

Hinata could keep this up for hours. And Neji knew that as well.

His foot slid back and he lowered his arms. Her pupils dilated a fraction. She tried to throw herself back, but he was faster. Palms Rotation exploded out and she was knocked off her feet. Hinata thudded into a nearby tree, the trunk caving slightly under her shoulders, then slumped to her knees at its roots.

Neji’s rotation slowed and Hinata was back on her feet. His smile was a gradual, impressed curl. “You’re getting faster, oneechan.”

She nodded curtly, then raised her arms. “Again.”

“No.” Neji straightened, his smile slipping away. “We’ve been at this for hours. You’ve pushed your body to its limit already.”

Hinata shook her head, lips pursed tightly. “I can keep going.”

“I know that. But I’m telling you that you shouldn’t.” Neji sighed, his eyes wary. “You’re usually not this reckless, Hinata.” He looked up at her, hesitating a little. “Did something happen between you and Naruto?”

Her breath fell short.

Of course, he would think that, because he was right. Hinata didn’t have a reckless bone in her body. She was thoughtful and organised. She planned ahead. She strategized. That was who she was. Except when it came to Naruto. She’d transcended limit after limit to protect him, to stand beside him, and she’d never regret that.

But she also knew that Neji had a point.

Hinata had spent the last few days moving. She hadn’t let up for much more than one meal in the evenings and a dreamless sleep at night. She just didn’t want to think. If she did, then she’d remember what she did. And that hurt more than all the superficial cuts and bruises she had on her skin now. But that didn’t excuse recklessness.  She may no longer be eligible to succeed her father as Clan Head, but she was still a kunoichi.

Slowly, her shoulders dipped. “Yes,” she croaked, voice raspier than usual. “I ended our relationship.”

She wasn’t sure what she expected from telling him, but it wasn’t a hug.

Neji stiffly looped his arms around her. A hand settled on the back of her head. “I’m happy that you want to push forward, but I don’t want you to do it for all the wrong reasons.” His voice was soft. “And I definitely don’t want you to overexert yourself because you’re upset.”

Hinata’s forehead thumped on his chest, her breath shallow. “But it hurts.”

His arms tightened around her shoulders. Neji knew that he could do little to soothe the ache in her heart, in her soul, because Naruto was her dream. Her childlike admiration had turned into a real, solid, reciprocated love and Hinata was more than content to be, at last, standing by his side to support his cause. Neji wasn’t even sure how to approach her hurt. It went so far beyond the average heartbreak.

Still, he had to try.

“We’re ninja,” he began, slowly resting his cheek on her head. “We know a life of hurt and pain, but we return twice as strong. That’s our way, isn’t it?”

Her fingers closed around his shirt. “But what if I don’t?”

Neji snorted. “Like the people in your life would let that happen.”

And with that, Hinata felt something like a switch go off inside her. Her grief and regret and guilt welled up, bulbous and black, then it swept over her like a wave. She felt lost at sea, caught in a storm so turbulent, Hinata thought she’d lose herself. And that scared her. Then, she remembered Neji and the arms he had around her. He was her best friend, her cousin, her brother. Hinata trusted him. He’d bring her back. He’d protect her. Like he had done a thousand times before then.

So, Hinata closed her eyes and walked into the gaping maws of her own heartbreak. Her world went black.

Later, Hinata would wake in the circle of, not Neji’s arms, but Shino’s.

He lay on his side next to her, a bare arm hooked politely around her midsection. His sunglasses, coat and bandana were folded in a neat pile at the foot of her futon, and his dark, brown eyes were closed. Hinata, however, knew her teammate well. He wasn’t asleep by a long shot.

She rolled on her side and prodded him in the cheek. “Shino-kun,” she whispered, head tilted. “What are you doing here?”

“Neji-san was dispatched on a mission late last night,” Shino rumbled. He may be awake, but he hadn’t been for long. “He didn’t want you to be alone, so he contacted me.”

Hinata felt a little embarrassed at that, face warmer than before, but she had to admit that she _was_ relieved that she hadn’t woken alone. “I apologise for the inconvenience,” she mumbled, glancing away.

“It’s no issue,” he promised, eyelids fluttering open. He cocked his head. “Do you want to talk about what happened?”

She considered him for a long moment. Shino was one of her closest friends. He’d supported her with the same relentless intent that Kurenai-sensei and Kiba did. If anyone deserved her honesty, it was them. It was him.

Slowly, she rolled onto her back and stared at the ornate rafters that kept her ceiling suspended. He was a lot like those, she thought. “I’m sure that Neji-nii-san told you that I ended my relationship with Naruto,” she said, prepared for the tight strain in her chest before she admitted that out loud. The pain pulsed, hot and thick, then ebbed away with her next breath. “I just couldn’t compete with Sakura and Sasuke.”

“Who said you had to?”

Hinata blinked, startled. “What?”

“Who said that you had to compete with Sakura and Sasuke?” Shino clarified. “As unusual as their relationship is, I was under the impression that it wasn’t founded in competition but a mutual appreciation and affection for one another.”

Hinata hadn’t thought about it that way. She just knew that it _hurt_ to see Naruto kiss Sakura, to hug Sasuke. Their love had been so open. Her relationship with Naruto had felt disjointed and stale in comparison. Maybe, she realised wearily, that was the problem.

“I don’t know,” she settled on, lamely. “He loved me. I know that. I can feel that. But I just couldn’t find it in myself to share his heart.”

That, above all else, had shattered her. She wished she had been a touch more selfless. If she had, maybe—

“So you gave up.” She could hear the frown in Shino’s voice. “That doesn’t sound like you, Hinata.”

“Naruto said something similar,” she confessed, voice shaky. “But I didn’t see another way. If I’d stayed, all that pain and jealousy would have diseased me. I know it would have.

“I couldn’t do that to him and I couldn’t do that to Sasuke and Sakura.”

Shino nodded, more to himself than her, and studied her profile with dark, contemplative eyes. “You were worried about Sasuke and Sakura, then.”

“Of course I was.” Hinata released a fatigued breath, all too aware of the aches in her body and the insistent throb in her chest. “Imagine if Naruto _was_ capable of choosing and he’d picked _me_. That would have crushed Sasuke and Sakura.”

And for all her envy and grief over her failed relationship, Hinata would have never forgiven herself if she’d done that to them. It would have been just plain _wrong_.

“But he isn’t capable of choosing.”

“But he isn’t capable of choosing,” she agreed, morbidly. “Now, do you understand why I did this?”

“I understand your reasoning,” he allowed, hefting his body over to lie on his back as well. “I just don’t think you’ve looked at all your options.”

Her brow creased. “What do you mean?”

“I suppose it doesn’t matter much now,” he mumbled, rolling his head the other way. “What’s done is done and your resolve is clear.”

Hinata hesitated, then decided it was worth the push. “What do you mean?” she repeated.

“Like I said before,” he began slowly, “the reason Naruto’s relationship with Sakura and Sasuke works is because it’s founded in appreciation and affection. Not necessarily love itself. Love developed all on its own.”

Hinata lips pursed. “I’m not sure I follow.”

“Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura were childhood friends, classmates and teammates before lovers. It wasn’t love at first sight. I don’t even think it was _like_ at first sight. They _gradually_ fell in love.”

She had a feeling where this might be headed. “What are you trying to imply?”

“I’m _implying_ that it’s not out of the realm of possibility for the same to happen to you,” he clarified. “I mean, you already care about Sasuke’s and Sakura’s welfare enough to relent the one person you’ve ever been in love with. That has got to have some significance, right?”

Hinata’s breath caught.

“It was the right thing to do,” she argued, weakly.

Shino sighed but didn’t seem to have it in him to push the point. Instead, he nodded. “Yes, it was the right thing to do.”

Hinata, quietly pushing the covers off of her and pulling herself to her feet, smiled back at him tightly. She offered him her hand. “I don’t want to spend all day in bed.”

“It’s dawn, Hinata. The day has barely started.” He sounded less than enthused about the prospect of moving, but he took her hand nonetheless. “We’re going to have breakfast like normal people. And coffee. _Lots_ of coffee.”

“This is a traditional household, Shino.” Her smile loosened. “We don’t drink coffee.”

“What!?” he squawked.

She laughed, quiet and real, but even as she tried to ease her teammate’s colourful complaints, Shino’s words whispered to Hinata in the back of her mind. A big, gaping ‘ _what if’_ had opened at her feet and she didn’t know what to make of it.

Did she even have the right, anymore?

Hinata shook her head. No. She didn’t.

But that didn’t stop the ‘ _what if’_ from haunting her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if I would have uploaded this sooner or not, but I know that further updates might be stunted because of classes and an endless stream of group work. I'm a student, you see, with a very academic, people-focused degree. I do apologise for that. Nonetheless, I'd like to thank all those who commented, bookmarked, left kudos or simply read the fic. I hope that it's reaching your expectations.
> 
> In any case, to the chapter itself, I understand that an unnecessary amount of it was dialogue and was dry in some places. I really don't have much of an excuse for that, except for poor writing. Although, alternatively, I got to rope in Shino and Neji for this one! I'm hoping to thoroughly explore the depths of Hinata's other relationships, with friends and relatives, so expect to see Kiba, Kurenai and other significant Hyuga clansmen popping up here and there. The rest of the Konoha Twelve, too!
> 
> Secondarily, as you can probably tell, I'm starting to lay down some solid stonework for NaruSakuSasu and the political situation for Konoha as well. Don't worry, the chapters won't always be this disjointed. (I hope). But, again, I just need to find time and room for world-building without, you know, creating an entire chapter dedicated to my aimless notes about it.
> 
> Lastly, I hope you enjoyed the read and I look forward to your thoughts as the story progresses! Thank you all for everything!


	4. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura is assigned on a mission to Kumo with Hinata. Sasuke considers Hinata with Itachi's help.

Sakura, dressed down in a loose, beige sweater and white slacks, popped her head into the Ministry’s communal office. “You wanted to see me, shishou?”

“Yes, Sakura. Come in.”

Tsunade, although technically retired, wouldn’t step down from her role until her successor was decided. Right now, she was seated at a long, rosewood table with the other Hokage. Minato sat on her right, Kakashi beside him, with Itachi at the far end. Sakura frowned. Even as a neo-sannin, it was rare to be summoned by all four Hokage. Her brow creased as she slid away from the doorframe and slipped inside, closing the door shut behind her. Her instincts warned her that she’d be out of Konoha by the end of the day.

“I have a diplomatic mission for you,” Tsunade stated, shuffling through slips of loose documents. “In Kumo.”

Sakura pursed her lips lightly. The relationship between her Hokage and Kumo’s Raikage had smoothed out considerably since the War, but generations of discord and lurid disagreement between Konoha and Kumo was hard to purge entirely. She knew that her year-mates, now in positions of power themselves, agreed.

“Of course, shishou.” Sakura bowed her head. “What will the mission entail?”

Kakashi grimaced at that. “It’s a rather sensitive mission, Sakura-chan.”

“Sensei?” she probed, tilting her head. She had figured out herself that the mission would be sensitive, but something told her it was personal too.

He folded his hands together on the tabletop, the faint wrinkles around his eyes deepening slightly. He was frowning, she thought wearily. “Some fifteen years ago, the Sandaime Raikage and a convoy of Kumo shinobi visited Konoha under false pretences. Their real motive was to abduct Hinata for her byakugan.”

The muscles in Sakura’s shoulders seized and for a moment, all she felt was an irrational, protective rage. Hinata didn’t belong to them. She was theirs. Kumo deserved to pay. A few measly deaths weren't enough. Then, Kakashi caught her eye and the rage ebbed away like he was anchoring Sakura to a river floor in the midst of a strong, wild current. Her jaw tightened.

“What else happened?” she asked coolly, surprised by how even her voice sounded.

Minato’s eyes were clinical as he spoke. “The Kumo-nin who tried to abduct Hinata-san were intercepted and killed by Hyūga Hiashi. The Sandaime Raikage claimed absolute innocence and demanded blood-for-blood. A ploy, of course. But, Hiashi’s twin brother, Hizashi, was quietly handed over instead to protect the byakugan from exploitation.”

“Neji’s father,” Sakura realised, lips parting.

It made sense now, of course. Neji, when she first met him, had resented Hinata in a way that she had never experienced before then and still hadn't. Of course, now their relationship was repaired and the two were more like brother and sister than cousins, but that didn’t erase the bitterness of almost a decade’s worth of grief.

“A-san has decided to take full responsibility for his father’s grievance to both the Hyūga Clan and to Konoha,” Itachi stated, tone and voice as formal as ever. “Your mission will be to retrieve Hyūga Hizashi’s remains from Kumo and bring him home for a proper burial.”

Sakura stiffened. “Neji and Hinata should be the shinobi to retrieve Hizashi-san. Not me.”

“Neji, I’m afraid, declined the mission himself. He stated that he couldn’t remain neutral in this one instance. And I don’t blame him.” Tsunade crossed her arms, brow creasing slightly. “However, Hinata will represent the Hyūga Clan instead, as both a member of the Main Branch and as Hizashi’s niece.”

“And my role?” she asked meekly.

“You’re a sannin now, Sakura.” Kakashi’s eye crinkled in that kind, proud way of his that told her that he was smiling coyly behind his mask. “That means you’ll be leading this mission and any other mission you’ll be given from here on out. You’re second only to the Hokage now. You should be very proud of yourself.”

“I was afraid you were going to say that,” she deflated, although her cheeks were flushed a bright, flattered pink.

“Plus,” Minato added, pulling the conversation back on track with a smooth tenor. “Your presence will ensure Hinata’s safety.”

Sakura straightened. “Are you concerned that A-sama’s word is a false pretence as well?”

“Not at all,” Itachi admitted. “The other Hokage and I agree that A-san's intentions are true, but we cannot rule out the possibility that his father’s ideology has been purged indefinitely from Kumo.”

Tsunade nodded. “Think of this as insurance, Sakura. Hinata is a bright, talented kunoichi, but it would be careless of us to send her to Kumo without proper protection.”

“Of course, shishou.” Sakura rolled back her shoulders, arms straight and stiff at her sides. “Is there anything else I need to know?”

The Hokage shared a poignant look between them that lasted a few, pointed moments. Sakura willed back a frown.

In the end, it was Itachi who spoke.

“This isn’t related to the mission, per se, but it’s something that you should keep in mind, Sakura-san.” He leant forward, elbows perched on the tabletop and fingers laced together. “As Kakashi-san mentioned before, you’re a sannin. Which means that you hold considerable influence within the shinobi community in Konoha.”

Sakura, for all her intelligence, hadn’t taken much time to think about her influence. The politics had never interested her. She was, first and foremost, a kunoichi of Konoha and a medic-nin finer than even her master and predecessor. Sannin was simply another title to her and was as clinical as genin and chūnin had been. But now that it had been articulated, Sakura understood the Hokage’s concern.

Slowly, she nodded. “I’ll be scrutinised from now on.”

“Deeply scrutinised,” Tsunade stressed. “Of course, before I was appointed Hokage, Jiraiya, Orochimaru and I escaped criticism for quite some time. However, you’re in an entirely different position than we were.”

“Yes.” Minato agreed. “You and Sasuke have made it quite adamant that the both of you are in open support of Naruto’s candidacy for Hokage. It’s even more likely that if he is appointed, that you and Sasuke will become his Senate.”

Sakura bit her lip. Minato wasn’t necessarily right. She had considered the position, of course, and she knew that she had the wits to manage such a high-profile position, but she wasn’t too deeply invested in the idea. For now, she was still undecided, although she appreciated the caution nonetheless.

“You’ll need to be more conscious of what’s happening around you than normal while you’re in Kumo,” Kakashi told her.

“Of course, sensei.” Sakura bowed her head in quiet gratitude, thoughts turning over and over in her mind. “Is that all?”

“Take this,” Minato said, offering a thin file to Sakura. “It further details your mission. You’ll be expected to leave by sunset at the latest.”

Sakura took the document and bowed, muttering quiet thanks, before she turned on her heel and slunk back out.

Sakura didn't realise that she had agreed to a two-week mission with the woman who broke her lover's heart until she reached her apartment.

She slumped down on the foot of her mattress, pupils dilated.

"Shit."

* * *

Hinata, knelt in front of her low, oak dresser, packed her bag sluggishly. Her bedroom was dim, making the bluebells in the corner droop. She felt a lot like the bluebells, she thought wearily, with her hunched shoulders and bowed head.

She’d found some semblance of peace in the last few weeks, her time evenly spent between friends, relatives and her thoughts, but the mere prospect of this mission had rocked her imagined stability. Hinata didn’t hold the entirety of Kumo accountable for the atrocity she narrowly escaped and the price her uncle had paid, but neither was she comfortable with the thought of being in the heart of Kumo territory. On top of that,  _Sakura_ was her escort.

Hinata sighed. It wasn’t that she had anything personal against her, but her breakup with Naruto had, without a doubt, strained her friendship with Sakura. It was such a shame too. Hinata had recognised a kindred spirit in Sakura, a relentless power who’d been broken down time and time again, only to rise back up with nothing but her own willpower and a tireless motivation to do right by those around her. If she had to be honest with herself, she missed Sakura.

It took Hinata another few minutes to pack the rest of her things and pull on her mission clothes, a kimono-style blouse and hemmed shorts before she quietly made her way out of the Compound and towards the Gates. Sakura had sent Izumo with a message earlier that day, explaining that they should leave a little after noon and cover as much ground as possible before nightfall. Hinata, seeing the merit in that, agreed.

Konoha was soft with sunshine and humid with a muggy wind; sweat already a damp discomfort on the back of her neck. Hinata smiled tightly at the few civilians she passed and waved at the bright-eyed students Shino worked with at the Academy. But, soon enough, the crowds thinned out and the paved streets widened into dirt roads; the heat seeping out of the air as gigantic trees filled her flanks.

Sakura was leant against the shelter by the Gates, dressed in her signature red dress and spandex shorts; hands sheathed in worn, leather gloves and headband tied neatly in her hair. Hinata’s sandals slowed down. Sakura’s lips were canted in a smile, her conversation with Kotetsu clearly familiar and teasing. She was beautiful, Hinata thought dizzily, eyes a paler green than jade and creamy skin.

Then, Sakura flicked a look to Hinata and her smile dimmed into something more forced and sickeningly polite. Hinata would be lying if she said she wasn't disappointed.

“Hinata-san,” she called out, her jawline pulled tautly. “Are you ready?” 

She wasn’t and she could tell that neither was Sakura. Hinata nodded blearily anyway. “If we move fast enough, we might be able to reach Hot Water sometime in the evening.”

“I thought so too.” Sakura turned back to Kotetsu, her smile gentling for half a second as she bid farewell, then leapt onto a low tree branch just outside Konoha’s Gates. “Come on, Hinata-san. Let’s bring Hizashi-san home.”

And with that, Hinata remembered her purpose. Her uncle deserved a proper burial and his son deserved to grieve his father. She was here for Neji-nii-san, for Hizashi, for her father, and for all the Branch Hyūga who’d died protecting the Main Household. Her birth-right might belong to Hanabi now, the more promising daughter, but Hinata was still both a Hyūga and kunoichi. She would perform her duty as accurately as possible.

She pulled chakra in the balls of her feet and pounced on a thick branch ahead of Sakura, starting a punishing pace that dragged them north-east towards Hot Water. Sakura pulled up beside her in an instant and exploded over a gaping clearing that Hinata knew Ino liked to frequent for medicinal herbs. Hinata couldn’t quite make the leap herself, briefly landing on jagged terrain just before the clearing ended, then propelled after Sakura.

It was a little reckless, she would reflect, later on, to exert so much precious energy on travel when there was no concrete time restraint. But Hinata and Sakura reached the border just as night started to dye the sky a watery, royal blue. Her breath was laboured and her muscles taut with a fulfilling strain; a sensation Hinata often related to sparring with Neji-nii-san. When she looked over to Sakura, Hinata knew that she shared the sentiment.

Hinata took a long, well-deserved drought from her canteen, half-heartedly agreeing with Sakura’s suggestion to settle down for the night.

“We’ll need to find shelter,” Sakura hummed, considering the thick brush around them. “And soon. Otherwise, we’re going to have to camp out in the open.”

Hinata, crouched over her bag, pushed loose strands of her hair off her heated face. “I’ll use my byakugan to find a place.”

Sakura startled, like she hadn’t thought of that, then gestured at Hinata. “By all means.”

Hinata pushed herself back to her feet, byakugan sharpening her vision, and scanned the area with a practised sweep. “There’s a cave not far from here. A stream too.”

“Really?” Sakura beamed. “That’s great!”

“The cave looks quite big, too.”

“I’m so used to the sharingan and rinnegan, I’ve almost forgotten how amazing the byakugan is,” Sakura added, the shadows from before clearing slowly. “You’re something else, Hinata-san.”

Hinata ducked her head, a warmth that had  _nothing_ to do with their travel spreading through her fair face. “You too, Sakura-san,” she mumbled.

Sakura’s lips twitched into another smile, then followed Hinata to the aforementioned cave. It  _was_ quite big but not as large as Hinata had expected. In fact, it was rather shallow; more of a stone cavern than an actual cave.

Hinata and Sakura set up their camp with meticulous hands, moving around one another with an ease born from missions spent with one another in the past. Hinata let that thought anchor her. Sakura, despite her brief warmth from before, had cooled again by the time they actually reached the cave. No smiles. No conversation. Just a condemning silence. Hinata couldn’t fault her in the slightest. She had, after all, hurt the man both of them loved.

Still.

“What I did to Naruto-kun was unforgivable,” Hinata said quietly, slowly, hoping to articulate to Sakura that she  _did_ understand the consequences of her decision as she took a seat close to their simmering campfire. “But, Sakura-san, I need to know that I can depend on you during this mission. I don’t expect you to forgive me, or even like me, but I’m here for my clan and for Neji-nii-san. I hope that any affection you may have for nii-san can eclipse whatever resentment you have for me. Just for this mission.”

Sakura had gone very, very still. Hinata spared a look at her face, but her bangs hung across her profile in clammy waves. She wasn’t sure if she was relieved or not.

Sakura was quiet for an uncomfortably long time, her hands fisted on her knees. Hinata almost didn’t think that she’d answer, was about to turn back to the campfire with dread an icy tendril in her belly, when Sakura, at last, straightened her spine.

“I don’t resent you,” she confessed, green eyes catching Hinata’s. “It’s your decision I resent.”

Her heart seized at that but Hinata wasn’t sure  _why_.

“But that doesn’t make you a bad person,” Sakura carried on, unflinchingly honest. “In fact, I kind of think you’re the  _bigger_ person. It’s not like Sasuke and I were very  _accommodating_ , after all.”

“What?” Hinata frowned lightly. “Sakura-san, you and Sasuke-san never tried to push me out or hurt me. I was an outsider but you tolerated me anyway. That’s more than I could have ever asked for.”

Sakura’s brow creased. Hinata could see guilt in her expression. “We should have done  _more_. If we had tried harder, maybe we could have spared both Naruto and you the hurt.”

Hinata’s next breath was a shallow sound, rushing into her lungs. “You were concerned for my welfare?”

“Of course I was.” Sakura had that familiar, certain tone in her voice; the same one she used in the War to protect and heal, a tone like petals made of steel that promised a victory so long as you trusted the person behind it. Hinata almost felt light-headed having it directed at her. “I may not agree with you in this one instance, Hinata-san, but a single altercation isn’t going to erase years of friendship and comradery.”

Sakura turned her entire body towards Hinata, then. Her eyes burned. “You  _can_ depend on me in this mission and any other mission that we’re assigned together on. I’m a sannin and a medic-nin. I can’t afford to cling to personal slights while in the field when I should be leading and protecting instead.”

Hinata felt the tight knot of unease uncoil in her chest. She had been so afraid that she’d lost Sakura’s faith forever, had even been prepared for it, but she shouldn’t have relented to doubt so easily. Sakura was a loyal ninja and a loyal friend. Hinata should have remembered that.

Her eyes gentled and, slowly, Hinata reached across the short distance between them and set her palm on Sakura’s shoulder. “You have a lovely soul, Sakura-san. I don’t need my byakugan to see that.” Her lips curved into a smile, albeit a sad one. “I can see why Naruto loves you so dearly.”

Sakura stared at Hinata, shocked, as the Hyūga’s hand retracted. “Hinata—”

“I apologise for doubting you,” she slid in. “I should have known better.”

Sakura studied her for a moment. “I guess we both had things to answer for.”

Hinata nodded. “I’m just glad it hasn’t poisoned our friendship.”

Sakura laughed, the clearest, sweetest sound she’s made all day. Hinata’s heart fluttered.

_I mean, you already care about Sasuke’s and Sakura’s welfare enough to relent the one person you’ve ever been in love with._

Shino’s words jostled her.

_That has got to have some significance, right?_

Hinata shot to her feet. “I’m going to take a bath,” she blurted out, arms stiff at her side.

Sakura’s laughter cut-off. “Really? The water might be freezing.”

“It's fine,” she rushed. “We’re close to Hot Water, aren’t we?”

“I don’t think that’s how this country works…” Sakura said, brow arched. “But, whatever you say.” She paused, thinking. “I might join you, actually. I stink.”

Hinata’s face burned. “What about the campsite?”

“I’ll leave a clone behind.” Sakura waved a hand at her, her demeanour softer and lighter than it had been all afternoon. “If anything happens, I’ll know straight away.”

Hinata, unable to deny her in the face of  _that_ logic, resigned. “Alright, Sakura-san.”

And if Sakura looked a thousand times more beautiful nude and framed by water, Hinata kept that thought to herself. 

* * *

 

Sasuke sat on the outdoor corridor that bordered Itachi’s simple, traditional home; arms braced behind him on the polished floorboards. He’d retreated there that afternoon, the news of Sakura’s mission still fresh in his mind, and he ached for a tranquil that he simply couldn’t find on the fringes of the Uchiha District—where he lived now. Naruto, too, was absent from Konoha, stuck in a summit in the Fire Country’s capital with the other Hokage Candidates. Sasuke couldn’t quite ignore the tight unease in his chest; the same one he often felt whenever he couldn’t sense their chakra.

Izumi and Jin, Itachi’s wife and child, had settled that unease somewhat; a breath of familiarity and affection Sasuke rarely entertained outside of Naruto and Sakura, but it wasn’t quite enough. He could visit his parents, of course, but he simply couldn’t bring himself to stand and walk the short journey to his childhood home. His instincts, he realised, wanted him here.

Not long thereafter, Itachi pushed through the heavy, wooden gate that circled the wealthier area of the Uchiha District; Hokage robes sashaying around him as he walked with the keen steps of a practised shinobi. He’d been made Hokage rather young, Sasuke thought, after the Sandaime had stepped down when Itachi was eighteen. But it suited him far better than an ANBU mask ever had.

Sasuke pushed himself to his feet as Itachi’s sandals slowed on the path, head canted to one side. “Otōto,” he greeted plainly, but Sasuke knew his brother well, knew that there was a gentle smile behind his seemingly blank tone. “I hope Izumi didn’t bully you into coming over on your day off.”

“No,” Sasuke said, snorting. “I came here on my own.”

Itachi’s lip twitched. “Then, I suppose my wife will simply have to bully you into staying for dinner.”

“With the way she cooks? She won’t have too,” Sasuke mused, following Itachi obediently back into the house.

Izumi stood at the oven, an array of pots set on the stove, while Jin, eight months old, was propped up in his high-chair. Itachi swooped into Jin, first, pressing their foreheads together briefly, before stepping up behind his wife and kissing her on the side of her face. Her cheeks burned an embarrassed red as Sasuke, himself, snorted and settled down at the low table with Jin.

“Anata,” she complained, half-heartedly. “Your brother’s here!”

“I am very aware of that,” Itachi hummed, amused, but stepped back nonetheless. “He looks like he’s been waiting around here all day.”

“He has,” Izumi teased before Sasuke could defend himself.

"I've been here for little more than a few hours." He scoffed. “Besides, why would I do that?”

Jin, a happy, exuberant child, squealed all of a sudden and Sasuke’s wry humour gentled.

Izumi smiled. “ _That’s_ why, Sasuke-kun.”

He felt the unease in his chest unfurl further.

Sasuke spent the rest of the evening with his brother, in-law and nephew. Jin made the room louder and brighter than Sasuke was used too, but he didn’t mind it in the slightest. Itachi was still quiet, soft-spoken, and Izumi wasn’t much different, but Sasuke found, as he often did whenever he visited his brother’s little abode, that the tranquil that existed here was a simple one; a tranquil, he realised abruptly, he wouldn’t mind sharing with Sakura, Naruto and Hinata.

Wait.

_What?_

Sasuke’s tea slipped out of his hand, the clay cup dropping directly in his lap. He flailed back. Scalding liquid seared through the cotton of his trousers and scorched his thighs. He swore. Loudly. Jin, on the other hand, started laughing. Sasuke, through the pain, still managed to make an awful face at his gurgling nephew, before gingerly getting his feet under him and standing.

Itachi and Izumi were staring at Sasuke like he’d grown a second head.

“I’ll, um, just—” Sasuke’s cheeks were red. “—clean up.”

Izumi snapped out of it first, her expression apologetic. “No, no. Don’t worry about it. I’ll clean up the mess and you go get yourself cleaned.” Her eyes glanced to Itachi. “Anata, you wouldn’t mind fetching Sasuke-kun a new set of clothes? You’re both about the same size.”

Itachi’s expression smoothed out, but Sasuke could have _sworn_ he saw laughter in his brother’s black eyes. “Of course.”

Sasuke tried not to pull the finger at him as he waddled to the bathroom. Itachi’s smirk made that _really_ hard.

Sakura had taught him basic medical ninjutsu, so he took care of the rigid burn on his otherwise unblemished thighs, and stuck a hand out through the crack in the door when Itachi knocked. Sasuke stripped and dressed with stunted, automatic limbs, expression slack as he dwelled on his earlier revelation. He wasn’t even sure if he liked Hinata all that much, especially after what happened with Naruto, but some part of him, the superficial part, knew that he appreciated her beauty. Her elegance, he thought, had always struck him in a way few other women had.

After he was dressed, Sasuke braced his hands on the bathroom basin and stared at his reflection; studying the jarring colours of his rinnegan and simpler, plainer black eye. He wondered what Hinata saw when she looked at him; wondered what she saw when she looked at Team Seven. He wondered if he saw the hurricane behind Sakura’s smile or the regal way Naruto held himself nowadays. Sasuke wondered, when she looked at him, if she saw the blind devotion beneath eyes that saw everything else.

A small part of him hoped that was she _did_ see wasn’t all bad.

Not that it should matter to him.

Sasuke sighed and shuffled back out. He almost jumped out of his skin when he spotted his brother.

Itachi was leant against the wall opposite the bathroom door, arms folded neatly and eyelid half-shut. “Come with me,” he said, pushing off the wall and disappearing down a separate hallway.

“I don’t have much of a choice, do I?” Sasuke grumbled after a moment, but ducked after Itachi and let himself be led outside into the landscaped courtyard.

Itachi took a seat on the lip of the outdoor corridor and reclined back, all the formalities and stress of his career and day melting off his shoulders like a cloak. Sasuke sank down beside him and turned his head to watch the moon; a flat, silver sphere freckled with craters. He remembered that, as a child, he and Itachi spent a lot of their nights like this; outside their parents’ home, simply enjoying each other’s quiet presence. Neither Sasuke nor Itachi bothered with conversation often, both firm believers in _doing_ rather _talking_ , but he ached to talk to his brother now. His wisdom was something that Sasuke often sought.

“You have a lot on your mind,” Itachi noted.

“Always,” Sasuke agreed. “It weighs me down, sometimes.”

Itachi snorted. “You’d make a terrible Hokage.”

“Good.” Sasuke tried not to smile. “I’m a better soldier anyway.”

“You’re not wrong,” Itachi allowed. “But just because you’d make a terrible Hokage doesn’t mean you’re a poor leader.”

“What’s the difference?”

Itachi glanced at Sasuke’s profile. “There are different kinds of leaders, otōto. You’re the Chief of Staff in the Police Force and someday you’ll be the Uchiha patriarch.”

Sasuke stiffened. “You mean _you’ll_ be the patriarch.”

“I’m a Hokage. I can’t possibly have both roles.” Itachi didn’t sound all that bothered by it. “Besides, my interests have always been focused on the whole, rather the individual.”

Sasuke couldn’t necessarily disagree with that. His brother, although a fine shinobi, had always been separate and distant from clan affairs than was expected of an heir. Still. “I don’t have much of an interest in clan affairs either,” he admitted, lips pursing lightly.

“Well then.” A smile ghosted Itachi’s lips. “How will otousan ever recover once he realises that he raised not one but _two_ sons reluctant to succeed him?”

“He’ll figure it out,” Sasuke said loftily. “There are other Uchiha who are better suited to the role, anyway.”

“Ah, but two of the other most promising candidates have pledged their loyalty to a Hokage as well,” Itachi pointed out, referring, of course, to Shisui, a prominent member in his Senate, and Obito, part of Kakashi’s.

“So have I.” Sasuke thought about his pledge to Naruto. “He may not be Hokage at the moment but he will be.”

Itachi’s smile was small and crooked. “I hadn’t expected anything less.”

Sasuke laughed, quick and short. “Sometimes, I wish I could stay here for the rest of my life. It’s a lot simpler than handling politics and relationships.”

“Ah, so this _is_ about your relationship.” Itachi arched a brow at him. “I have to say, otōto, you’re becoming alarming predictable as you age.”

“ _Age_?” Sasuke spluttered. “I’m _twenty_.”

“You’re like an old man,” Itachi teased. “’It weighs me down’. Bah. Your thoughts only weigh you down because you let them.”

Sasuke gave him a narrow-eyed look. “I don’t know why I thought talking to you would be a good idea.”

“You wanted honesty,” Itachi stated, sobering slightly. “Besides, am I wrong? You overthink and often jump to the wrong conclusions. Plus, there’s that temper of yours…”

Sasuke clicked his tongue, dissatisfied by that jab. “Fine. I’m not the most patient man but I do _not_ overthink.”

Itachi turned his head and _stared_.

Sasuke shrunk into his collar. “Okay. I overthink.”

“I don’t know what’s weighing you down right now, Sasuke.” Itachi set his hand on his shoulder. “But I know for a fact that you’re overthinking it. Instead of overthinking and winding yourself into a panic, you need to stay calm and carefully analyse the situation from all angles.”

“I _know_.” Sasuke dropped onto his back, legs still hanging over the lip of the outdoor corridor. “But it’s a lot easier said than done.”

“Things seldom are.” Itachi propped his shoulder up against a post that kept the outdoor corridor’s shelter suspended and watched Sasuke from the corner of his eye. “It’s your job to determine whether a situation is a lost cause or not before deciding what to do next.”

Sasuke frowned.

Was Hinata a lost cause?

He wasn’t sure.

But he could find out.

Slowly, Sasuke sat upright again. “You’re right.”

“I can count on one hand the amount of times I’ve been wrong in my entire lifetime.”

Sasuke shoved his brother right off the deck.

“Show-off.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I actually winced at the God-awful state of this chapter. It's so messy. Bah. I don't even think it's salvageable, but it is relatively heading in the general direction that I want this fic to head and I was hoping to publish something semi-coherent before the weekend finished.
> 
> I'm still laying the stonework for the fic's background and such, which is starting to become a chore, I know. Please bear with me! It's all important! Mostly!
> 
> In any case, I apologise for the fic's steady decline in quality. Hopefully, I'll be able to pick up my game a bit in the future once I finally work out its continuity.
> 
> (Also, sidenote: Itachi's prevalence in this chapter is purely self-indulgent idiocy).
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	5. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto learns about Sakura's mission with Hinata, whereas the kunoichi themselves make their way closer to Kumogakure.

Naruto skipped home and, instead, dragged himself to the Uchiha District. His shoulders were canted low with fatigue as he scaled Konoha’s slick rooftops. He’d been in a lot of battles, he thought. And, he'd fought tooth-and-nail for someone else’s cause time and time again. He had never once tired. Politics, however, was a new kind of battle. One that he was alarmingly underprepared for.

Although, that wasn’t to say that Naruto was _bad_ at politics. In fact, he was rather talented. Itachi had even called him brilliant in the boardroom, his passion and enthusiasm easily outweighing his inexperience. But, that didn’t mean that Naruto was all that thrilled about the constant dick-measuring that made shinobi look complacent in comparison.

He sighed and kept moving. There was no point working himself up over this.

The Uchiha District was cast dim in the moonlight, the paved roads and wooden houses hazy with shadow. Naruto trotted across a few, familiar roofs, sandals quiet, and then slid off an eave and landed on a narrow balcony. The balcony, itself, was peppered with medicinal herbs and potted plants and set with a small, round-table in the corner. Naruto heaved a long, tired breath and tapped on the ranch slider.

 A light flickered on somewhere inside and, a moment later, Sasuke yanked open the ranch slider.

“Do you have any idea what the time is?” he grumbled, his hand knotting in Naruto’s collar and dragging him inside nonetheless.

“Late?” Naruto hummed, greedily eyeing Sasuke’s bare chest and tapered waist in the back-light from the bulb in the corridor.

Sasuke took an unhurried kiss from his lips as an answer. He tasted like tea leaves and cinnamon. Naruto yanked him closer and kissed Sasuke like he was water and Naruto was a man wandering the desert. He hadn’t seen him in little over a week, after all, and for all that, his mission had drained him, Naruto still liked the thought of Sasuke swearing under him as he slid home to the root.

He shuddered just thinking about it.

“Is Sakura here?” he rasped, lips moving over the smooth, pale column of Sasuke’s throat. He’d love to massage the plump globes of Sakura's ass, right now. If he could. “She wasn’t home when I went past her house.”

Abruptly, Sasuke went _very_ still.

Naruto paused, “Sasuke?”

“Sakura is on a mission,” he said stiffly.

Naruto frowned. _That_ wasn’t unusual. But Sasuke’s reaction _was_. Slowly, he willed himself to take a step back from his lover. He couldn’t quite make out Sasuke’s face, the sharp lines softened by shadow, but Naruto could still see his rippled rinnegan. The _tomoe_ rotated in a slow, gradual curl. Sasuke wasn’t aware that it did that when he was uncomfortable.

“What’s happened?” Naruto managed, desperately trying _not_ to imagine all the horror and blood that a kunoichi of Sakura’s stature could very well encounter.

“Nothing,” Sasuke said, too quickly. He seemed to realize that and took a breath. His tomoe stopped spinning. “As far as I know, she’s fine. The mission _is_ in Kumo but she’s going there as an ambassador, of sorts. Not particularly hard but definitely political.”

Naruto grimaced lightly. “I hope she’s not dealin’ with that alone. Is it a solo?”

Sasuke _wished_ to all the gods that he hadn’t asked that. He couldn’t lie to him, either. “No, it’s not. She has another kunoichi with her.”

“Oh?” That seemed to peak Naruto’s interest. “Anyone, we know?”

Sasuke balked, then carefully, took Naruto’s coarse hands and led him to the long, leather couch behind them. The backlight from the corridor turned Naruto’s hair bronze and caught the finer strokes of blue in his irises. Sasuke allowed himself a moment to trace the birthmarks slashed across his tanned cheeks, ensnared like the _damned_ fool that he was by Naruto’s classical good-looks.

“Sasuke,” Naruto sighed, fingers closing over Sasuke’s hand settled on his cheek. His brows were creased. “It’s Hinata, isn’t it?”

Sasuke’s jaw tightened. “Yes.”

Naruto made a sound, low from the back of his throat, and pushed himself back to his feet. He paced Sasuke’s living room for God knows how long, thick fingers running through his tangled curls. His breath was shallow as he walked, loud in the quiet that Sasuke had allowed before he inhaled through chattering teeth and turned back to the lover he’d left on the couch. His expression, when Sasuke finally managed to look at him, was a lot like grief.

“Naruto.” Sasuke stood. “Talk to me.”

His response, however, surprised Sasuke. Although, it really shouldn’t. “I hope they come home safe.”

Sasuke’s lips twitched. “Sakura and Hinata can handle themselves.”

“You’re not worried?” Naruto caught his eye. “About Sakura, at least.”

“Sure. But—” Sasuke rapped his knuckles on Naruto’s hard, blond head. “—have you forgotten who those two are? Seriously, Naruto. I wonder what they ever saw in you.”

Naruto winced.

Sasuke’s humor faded. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Naruto managed a smile, albeit a small one. “I get what you mean, but it’s still a little tender, you know?”

“Still.” Sasuke pressed a kiss to Naruto’s cheek, gentle and apologetic. “I’m sorry.”

Naruto hooked his arms around Sasuke, pulling him taut against his front, and dipped his head into the crook of his shoulder. He smelt like ozone and campfire smoke, like damp leaves and rainwater. It wasn’t necessarily an unpleasant smell but it was all Sasuke and Naruto liked it all the same. He took a deep breath and kissed Sasuke’s pale throat.

“Sakura and Hinata are two of the finest kunoichi to walk out of Konoha,” Sasuke whispered plainly, honestly. “They’re probably going to clean up Kumo’s act.”

Naruto’s laughter rumbled low from his chest, his breath a warm puff against Sasuke’s skin. “Well. You’re _not_ wrong.”

* * *

 

Hinata was seriously considering that _hygiene_ was not a good enough reason to stomach humiliation everyday whenever she bathed. Sakura was a neat amalgamation of hard, shinobi muscle and lush, feminine curves; her thighs were smooth and creamy, but sometimes, her skin was coarse with fine, white scars. Hinata’s breath shortened each time she watched Sakura from the corner of her eye, her slender body easing slowly below the gentle tide of a lake or pond. And her cheeks would burn hot whenever Sakura would catch her staring.

Hinata sighed and exploded chakra out of the soles of her boots, catapulting herself forward in a hard, rough burst.

They’d made good on time in the last few days, crossing through the short, humid lands of Hot Water and carefully trekking into Frost’s jagged tundras. Frost was uninhabited for the most part, save for its tiny Hidden Village and a few, desolate towns, but the real danger didn’t lay in its scarce population—but the weather, itself. Gorges were slick with ice and there were almost no barren trees to travel through. Sakura had hoped that they’d be able to cross the narrow country within the day, but the slips and snow had seriously slowed them down. It was almost sunset before Sakura called for a stop, the tip of her nose red and her breath a heavy, white mist in the frigid air.

“I spotted a cave not far from here,” Hinata stated, burrowing her face into the soft, warm folds of her hooded cloak. “It’ll be for the best if we camp in there than out in the open like this.”

Sakura, eyeing the barren ice around them, nodded wearily. “We better move now if we wanna make it before dusk.”

“Plus, there’s a storm on the horizon.” Hinata could feel it in the stillness around them; the absolute silence in a wind that had battered them all day long. The sky, itself, was overcast but storms in Frost rolled in hard and fast. Her father had taught her that.

“Let’s go.”

The cave Hinata had found was a lot longer than the one they’d stayed in back in Hot Water, but the natural floor and walls were glazed over with thick sheets of ice. She made a face. It wasn’t the worst place she’d camped in, but there was certainly better accommodation. Still, it wasn’t like either of them had much of a choice. Hinata sighed and slumped back against one of the walls, the muscles in her thighs aching and her chakra a little lower than she would have preferred.

“I should have led us to the Frost Village,” Sakura mumbled, dumping her bag next to Hinata. “We would have had a comfier sleep.”

“And warmer,” Hinata quipped before she could stop herself. Her cheeks burned. “Not that I’m saying that you made a bad decision—”

Sakura snorted impolitely. “I know what you mean, Hinata. You don’t have to stand on ceremony around me. I’m woman enough to know when I’ve messed up.”

Hinata considered her for a moment, then started laughing. Her smile brightened her otherwise dark features, chasing the ever-present shadows in her eyes. The red flush on her cheeks became endeared rather embarrassed and for the thousandth time while on that mission, Sakura felt adoring. She’d never seen Hinata look so free, the line in her shoulders no longer bowed as her amusement rolled through her; the air warmed by a laugh that was soft like small bells.

Sakura almost forgot to breathe.

“What?” she choked out, instead, and stared at Hinata greedily. For a single, insane moment, Sakura envied Naruto that for months on end, Hinata had been _his_ and his alone.

“It’s just—” Hinata wrinkled her nose at Sakura, expression sweeter than Sakura had ever seen it. Well, directed at _her_ , anyway. That expression had always been for Naruto, she knew. “—that it feels good to know that you _are_ human.”

A frown pulled at her lips. “What do you mean?”

“What do I mean?” Hinata echoed back, blinking owlishly. Sakura watched her closely, knowing that they should start building the camp but finding their conversation more interesting instead. Then, Hinata said, like it made all the sense in the world: “You’re a sannin, Sakura-chan.”

Sakura made a face. “You know, I’ve heard that so often in the last few weeks, and I still have no idea what that means. Not really.”

Hinata tilted her head back against the cave wall, thoughts expanding slowly. “You, Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun founded peace and unity at a time where neither should have been possible and somehow maintained it. Ninja from _all_ villages look up to you for all the hard work you did in the war. But that doesn’t mean you’re perfect and that’s okay. You still strive harder than any other shinobi I’ve ever met and that’s what makes you a sannin.”

“Woah.” Sakura stared at Hinata’s face, heat rising in her cheeks. “I—I don’t even know what to say, Hinata. 'Thank you' doesn’t even start to cover it.”

Hinata smiled back at her, opal eyes warm despite their cool color. “Don’t thank me. Just keep on trying. That’s all I and anyone else can ever ask of you.”

Sakura moved on instinct, she’d reason later on, because she would have _never_ done it otherwise. She jerked forward, gloved fingers curving around Hinata’s freezing face, and pulled her into a slow, coaxing kiss. Hinata talked like Naruto, she thought dizzily. And, had Sasuke’s quiet wisdom. But more than that. Hinata was a woman, too, so she understood things that Naruto and Sasuke simply couldn’t. It was almost like Hinata was the best of all three of them.

Then, she felt the tension in Hinata; the way her neck was rigid with tendons and her hands were jittery at her sides. Sakura’s pupils expanded and she hurled herself back, landing a few feet away on the icy floor. But it was too late, she realized frantically. Hinata’s lips were a permanent burn against her senses; like jasmine tea and lavender. Sakura knew with dawning horror that she’d never get Hinata’s taste out of her—and more disturbingly, she didn’t _want_ too.

Meanwhile, Hinata sat there, shocked, for a moment longer before her fingertips brushed her damp, bottom lip. Sakura’s eyes flicked down to her mouth, then she caught herself.

What the hell had she been _thinking_?

What was _Hinata_ thinking?

“Um.” Hinata swallowed thickly, a pretty, endearing blush rising to her cheeks. “Maybe we should set up camp now?”

Sakura’s insides clenched. She intended to ignore it, then. Sakura didn’t know why the idea of that made her feel sick to her stomach. But, Hinata raised a point. Sighing, Sakura relented. As much as she wanted to find the answers she needed, especially the ones she had to ask herself, their survival was a priority here. Hinata had practically voiced her faith in Sakura. She wouldn’t fail her just because she couldn’t keep her damned, greedy hands to herself.

Slowly, Sakura pushed her hands to her feet, her trousers and cloak slick with ice. “I know a few jutsu that’ll help us here.”

“Okay.”

But even as she weaved through familiar, practiced hand-signs, Sakura greedily savored Hinata’s taste.

After all, for an instant, Hinata had kissed her back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I'd like to heavily apologise that this is almost two weeks overdue and isn't as long as I initially intended it to be. And a third apology is probably due because this is such an 'interluding' chapter. I don't even know what to make of it. Honestly. Ugh. In any case, thank you for all the support and response for this fic. I've honestly been so blown away by everyone's positivity. Thank you. I hope that any future chapters are longer and published a lot sooner than this one was. 
> 
> Thank you all for reading! :)


	6. Chapter Five

Although Sakura had travelled through worse conditions, the storm Hinata had predicted the evening before was still a rough one. The winds howled around them, bitter and hard, as Sakura and Hinata clumsily trudged across rugged terrain. Rain fell in a steady, _freezing_ downpour and struck them almost horizontally. It was the worst storm Sakura had seen outside of Ame.

Sakura, herself, was soaked to the bone. She couldn’t feel her face nor her fingertips, but she knew that she was faring better than Hinata was.

The poor thing looked downright miserable. She walked at a crawl, almost like her drenched limbs were heavy with atrophy, and had to squint through the rain to see Sakura ahead of her. Sakura, of course, had suggested that they reroute back to Shimogakure and wait for the storm to pass, but Hinata had outright refused. She hadn’t been able to tell if it was some kind of misplaced pride or whatever promise she made Neji and her clan that made Hinata want to stick this out, but Sakura was seriously considering that neither mattered if they didn’t _survive_.

A gigantic gorge split the earth up ahead, the glacial walls steep with narrow ledges and smooth ice. A suspension bridge stretched between the gaping maw, the metal wires and planks frozen solid. It bucked and rolled from the wind. Sakura, standing at its feet, grimaced inwardly. They had about another hour of meticulous travel before Shimo gradually bled into Kaminari’s rocky territories, but they needed to cross this particular gorge to get there.

She flattened her lips into a thin, considering frown. “It’s not worth it.”

“What?” Hinata shuffled up behind her, voice almost lost in the winds.

“It’s not worth it,” she repeated, louder than before and close to Hinata’s ear. “The risks are too high to cross this bridge in this weather! We’re going to have to turn back!”

“But we’ve come so far!” Hinata ducked her head into her collar, trying to keep her pale face from the wind and the rain, but failing at both. “We’ll cross it with chakra in our feet!”

Sakura shook her head. “What happens if the bridge collapses _under_ us? It doesn’t matter how much chakra we use, the fall will kill us on impact.”

Hinata hesitated. “The mission.”

“We’re not abandoning the mission,” Sakura promised. “The second we reach Shimogakure, we’ll notify both the Ministry and the Raikage about the delay and resume when the weather calms down.”

Hinata pursed her lips but, for now, seemed appeased. She nodded. “You’re right.”

The detour back to Shimogakure was a long haul; the conditions made worse by fatigue. Sakura hadn’t slept much last night, if at all. Not after that impromptu kiss. She’d agonised over the kiss well into the night, had touched her mouth with curious fingers, and had talked herself into and out of confronting Hinata about it more than once. When she had finally gotten to sleep, her dreams had been hazy with pale fingers pressed into her thighs and a soft voice sighing into her mouth.

It had driven her to the brink of madness. Even now, despite their mission, all Sakura wanted to do was fill her calloused hands with Hinata’s plump hips and heft her into a kiss that burned them _both_ from the inside-out. She’d taste more than _just_ her lips, slide her tongue along the unblemished column of her throat and down the rich valley of her milky breasts. Sakura wasn’t sure _how_ Naruto had managed to keep his PDA with Hinata tasteful after he’d had all of her. Her self-control had thinned to close to nothing just because of a _kiss_. Hinata was like a damned aphrodisiac that Sakura wanted to have for the rest of her life.

And _that_ was the truly terrifying prospect.

Sakura had never felt so strongly about anyone _but_ her teammates. Naruto and Sasuke had a way of getting under her skin and stripping her bare; of tumbling the meticulous barriers she liked to keep around her, with the simplest, kindest of loves. She remembered her first kiss, shared with Sasuke, and the way he gentled her into it; of the way, he’d traced her lips with a sensual tongue. And she remembered the first time she’d returned Naruto’s honest confessions with one of her own, her insides taut with candour. Her most favoured memories often included them or were because of them, and Sakura had never regretted giving the most intimate parts of herself to them. She doubted she ever will.

But, a small part of her wondered what might have happened if she’d shared those parts with Hinata _first_.

Her life would be wholly different, she was sure.

Sakura breathed shakily through her nose and spared Hinata a look over her shoulder. Her hood had been thrown back off her soft, indigo hair and her face was burrowed into her scarf, the byakugan outlining her opal eyes in a subtle show of power. Sakura’s breath hitched. She had a type, didn’t she? Sakura liked power. And, although Naruto and Sasuke were apex predators, with Sakura nestled firmly between them, Hinata was no frightened deer. She could hold her own in a fight. Sakura had seen it more than once. Her battle against Nagato’s Deva Path had been a testament to that. Sure, she’d lost, but Hinata had fought him tooth-and-nail and, against all odds, saved the life of the man she loved just as much as Sakura did.

Her chest tightened. She’d never thanked her, had she?

Slowly, Sakura dropped back until she walked at Hinata’s side. Hinata cocked her head at Sakura, a question on her lips. Sakura didn’t waste time. Against her better judgement, she swooped in and left a cool, almost blasé kiss on Hinata’s freezing cheek.

“What?” Her stammer had returned, Sakura thought smugly, as a pretty red blush crept up Hinata’s neck.

“Thank you,” she told her. “You saved Naruto that day.”

Hinata’s brows creased briefly before it dawned on her. Her brows lifted. “You would have done the same.”

“But I didn’t.”

It was a scar on her soul, Sakura knew. She hadn’t protected him that day. She’d been far stronger than Hinata was, but it had been _her_ , a woman with _everything_ to lose, who’d stepped up as Naruto’s champion. Although, Sakura didn’t resent her for that. She could never resent someone as pure as Hinata. But, Sakura had to admit—she resented herself a little for hesitating. Kakashi-sensei had taught her not to hesitate, but she had. For a shinobi, that made all the difference in a life and death situation.

“My body just moved,” Hinata admitted, unknowingly echoing Sasuke from years ago—back in the Land of Wave. “It was how I knew that I really loved him.”

About a month ago, Hinata’s quiet admittance would have unsettled Sakura. Now, it just made her feel fond, because she’d also done some _stupid ass_ things for Naruto and Sasuke.

Sakura managed a smile. “I know he treasures your love. It’s very precious to him.”

“Yeah.” Hinata smiled back. “I guess it is.”

* * *

 

Rin stopped by Kakashi’s office a little after noon. Her long, tapered fingers were curved around a bento box and her eyes were pointedly unimpressed. Her daughter, Aimi, wobbled at her side, frowning at her Kakashi-oji-san with about as much indignation as a three-year-old could manage. Kakashi, unable to help himself, smiled at them.

“Hi,” he greeted plainly, elbow pressed to his desktop and his chin propped up in his hand.

Rin flicked a quiet look up at him from under long, brown lashes and pursed her lips lightly. “I have a theory,” she stated, crossing the room in a few, short strides and dropping down into the chair he kept in front of his desk.

Aimi scrambled up into her mother’s lap and then nodded. “Mama have theory.”

He arched a brow at them. “Please. Enlighten me.”

“Men possessing the sharingan have no sense of self-preservation _or_ self-care.” Rin pointedly set the bento down on his desk. “It’s almost like the mere concept of regular meals and sleep is so far out of reach, they don’t even realise it’s an option.”

Kakashi hummed and flicked open the bento. It was filled with steamed rice and pickled vegetables, the smell wafting over his senses. He looked back up at his dearest friend and smiled wanly. “Isn’t that theory a form of prejudice, Rin? I thought you were above such atrocities.”

Rin snorted impolitely. “I had hoped that after your inauguration, you’d actually start behaving like a functional adult, but alas. I’m _still_ looking after you.”

“Rude,” he chuffed lightly, accepting the chopsticks she placed on the desk beside his meal. “Although, completely true. Thank you. I didn’t realise I was hungry until now.”

She threw up her hands. “My point exactly!”

This time, he laughed. The sound started out muffled, but came out loud and big the second he tugged his mask down to his neck. Rin shook her head at him as he started to feast, savouring each bite. It was one of Kushina’s recipes, he thought.

“Sasuke-kun has been moping around the District lately,” Rin continued, suddenly. “So much, he actually _asked_ if he could babysit Aimi-chan while Obito-kun and I enjoy a night to ourselves.”

Kakashi didn’t comment. He doubted his student would appreciate it if he blabbed to his cousin-in-law that the mighty Uchiha Sasuke was, in fact, a loser for children. Instead, he swallowed his mouthful of pickled celery and considered Rin for a moment. “He misses Sakura.”

Granted, not an _awesome_ alternative, but at least it was public knowledge that Sasuke was attached to Sakura. Plus, it was probably the truth.

Aimi beamed suddenly. “Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan! I miss Sakura-chan too!”

“She’s lovely, isn’t she?” Kakashi said to Aimi, almost aimlessly.

Rin’s answering smile was soft. “He mentioned that she was on a diplomatic mission. To Kumo, wasn’t it?”

“Indeed.” Kakashi picked up a few sheets of paper. “I was actually going through the paperwork for it now when you came in.”

“Shouldn’t you have done that the moment Sakura-chan left?” Rin’s look was, again, pointed. “Kakashi-kun, I swear. You’re so terrible at Hokage. I’m not even sure how you were shortlisted, let alone promoted to the role.”

He made a face, properly chastised. “Well, you’re my advisor, aren’t you? _Help me_.”

“You’re just lazy,” she huffed but took the document from him nonetheless. “Hurry up and eat. I’ll stay for as long as Aimi can tolerate you.”

“Mama is mean,” Kakashi told Aimi sourly, shoving friend tempura into his mouth.

He picked his way through his meal as Rin looked through the report. Hinata and Sakura had last made contact about a week ago, stating that they had decided to travel on foot through Kuni no Shimo, to preserve their measly budget. He had expected to receive news from the two kunoichi tomorrow at the latest, estimating that they’d, at last, reach Lightning by then. Although there had been no definite time constraint on the mission and no real threat, he still preferred to have two of his best back inside Konoha as soon as possible.

“Kakashi-kun,” started Rin, suddenly. Something in her voice brought Kakashi to a pause.

He looked up from his meal wearily. “What is it?”

“I—” Her lips pursed. “—I don’t think that is the Raikage’s signature.”

Kakashi abandoned his meal entirely and pushed away from his desk. He ducked around and leant over her shoulder. Rin pointed to the neat, handwritten signature curled at the bottom of the initial notice. His brow creased. “It doesn’t look any different to me.”

“Raikage-sama lost his dominant arm in the War, didn’t he?” she croaked. “His left one.”

Kakashi nodded.

“The slant of _this_ signature indicates that it was written by a left-handed individual,” she stated, hoarsely. “But that cannot be possible because Raikage-sama  _no longer has his left arm_.”

Kakashi went still, then he flickered over to the filing cabinets behind his desk. He banged through the drawers until he pulled out two separate, unrelated documents. Both bore the curvy strokes of the Raikage’s signature. The first document was dated at before the War and the second document was dated after the War. Just a few months ago, in fact. He took the document in Rin’s hands and compared each one to the other for a long, drawn-out moment.

His blood went cold.

She was right.

* * *

 

The storm had deepened into a Hell-bent blizzard by nightfall.

Hinata had survived a lot in her short, two decades of life, but she wasn’t one hundred percent certain that she’d survive this. Her long, dark hair was clumped with ice and snow, and the raggedy end of her cloak had iced over completely. She couldn’t feel her hands, her face, or even her feet. The earth beneath their boots was hard and slick. She’d fallen on her ass more than once because of it.

Sakura was taking the brunt of it, however. She’d curled Hinata against her side, her cloak clipped securely around them both, and blocked the worst of the blizzard off of Hinata with her own body. She’d argued with Sakura that she needn’t be coddled, but her captain had been adamant that she’d fared worse weather than this and that Hinata simply needed to trust Sakura’s instincts. So, at last, she’d relented, but Hinata hadn’t liked it one bit.

Sakura was slighter than Hinata by far, seemingly model-thin if it weren’t for the lean muscle built shallowly under her freezing skin. Her arms were taut around Hinata’s bustier shoulders but her curves were pliant and soft against Hinata’s side. She thought she might have enjoyed herself if they were under different circumstances, but Hinata knew that the Sakura curved around her wasn’t her friend; it was the battle-hardened medic who’d torn through Kaguya’s white Zetsu’s with the mindless power of a rampaging rhino. But, although Sakura was a power, she was not mindless. Her decisions in the War had been measured and calculated, and so had been this one.

She wanted to conserve as much of their body heat as possible, but stopping wasn’t an option.

Sakura had simply found a compromise.

Hinata tucked her face into Sakura’s throat and mouthed a pensive thank you against her skin.

Sakura squeezed her in response.

And it was then, of course, that the nuke-nin decided to attack.

The storm abruptly paused, snowflakes hanging suspended in the air and the winds falling flat. Sakura heaved in a sharp, startled breath. “What the—?”

Her battle instincts slammed into her and, thoughtlessly, she tossed Hinata one-armed over her shoulder and sprang into the air. Senbon needles pelted the space they’d just stood.

“I have you now!”

Sakura stared up to see a masked man bearing down on them, a katana raised well over his head. Her hands weaved the jutsu before she could think. “Shadow Clone Jutsu!”

Her clone heaved her to the side and out of the masked man’s deafening swing. Sakura landed and Hinata got back to her feet, byakugan sharpening her vision.

“There are ten of them,” Hinata rattled off, stance widening. “The majority of them are at ten o’clock!”

Sakura roared and slammed her gloved fist in that direction. The earth splintered for one, terse moment before it exploded entirely—blowing chunks of ice and frozen dirt around them. The storm—a jutsu, Hinata realised—dissolved. It was supposed to be a clear night, apparently, albeit a frigid one. Someone had orchestrated this. Her teeth clenched. This entire mission had been a ploy.

“How many are left, Hinata?” Sakura stretched her tapered fingers, emerald eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Three.”

Hinata and Sakura, now that the playing field had been evened out, ripped through their opponents with a relentless assault that proved that Konoha, although content with peace, had not become complacent. And neither had its ninja. Hinata dragged the unconscious shinobi and tied them up. Sakura, on the other hand, worked to dispose of the dead. Most of them had died instantly in Sakura’s initial counter-attack, but the few who  _had_ survived would be left in Shimo’s Hidden Village prison until their execution.

Desertion, after all, was not taken lightly by any of the Ninja Villages. That was the worst crime a shinobi could make against their country.

“I have to contact the Ministry,” Sakura stated. She’d used a fire-based jutsu to dispose of the bodies, the air ripening with burnt flesh and hair. “For now, we have to assume that these nuke-nin were working independently and without the oversight of a Kage.”

“I don’t think any of the major Ninja Villages were capable of this,” Hinata admitted, then gestured to the hitai-ate of their hostages. “The smaller Ninja Villages, however, are another matter entirely.”

Sakura’s eyes were tired. “Sometimes, collateral damage is unavoidable but that doesn’t mean it is right.”

Hinata nodded.

“Alright, I’ll just contact the Ministry and we’ll be—”

Sakura’s pupils expanded and she barrelled forward. She swept Hinata’s legs out from right under her and swung a wild fist—but it never connected. A katana went straight through Sakura’s chest and exploded out the other side. Her blood sprayed across Hinata’s pale face. Sakura dropped to her knees, blood dribbling down her parted lips. She lifted her chin and stared shakily over her shoulder—to Hinata.

“Run,” she wheezed and fell forward.

The hilt banged into the ice, forcing the blade further into Sakura.

Hinata’s scream lit up the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not proud of this chapter. Okay, that's a lie. I'm not proud of the end of this chapter. I definitely rushed it and it's pacing is all up the fuck. God. The quality of this fic is spiralling down hill so fast, I'm ashamed. Still, I thought I owed a chapter to everyone and I hoped to have it done before I travelled overseas on Wednesday. Please, if you do comment, be kind and don't give up on me. I know what I'm doing. I swear. (Okay, no. That's a lie). Thank you to everyone who has endured these last few chapters with me. Your support really is mind-blowing.


	7. Chapter Six

“You’ve become complacent,” Sasuke accused, his sharingan a lurid red against a face otherwise grey with grief. “Only the gods know how you _lost_ your own pupil!”

Kakashi winced.

In other circumstances, he wouldn’t have tolerated Sasuke’s impulsive comments, but Kakashi couldn’t bring himself to defend himself. It had been his signature that had, in the end, ensured Sakura’s disappearance. Even if she was found safe and warm, Kakashi doubted he’d ever forgive himself for such a careless slip-up.

He breathed through his nose, long and slow. “I realise—”

“—no, you don’t!” Sasuke slammed his hands down on Kakashi’s desk, straining the cracks that Tsunade had split through the tired wood some hours before; when he’d told her that her beloved disciple was _gone_. “This is _your_ fault. If you’d done your damned job, then Sakura and Hinata wouldn’t be in this situation right now!”

“Sasuke, I am under no illusion on who is to blame behind this fiasco,” Kakashi acknowledged gravely, his stomach twisting uncomfortably.

He’d been damn near inconsolable since Rin had noticed the document’s inconsistency, then had almost blanked out completely when he received no further contact from Sakura and Hinata. Rin, at least, had the foresight to call in Obito and the other Hokage, each leader branched by their respective advisors. The impromptu summit had ebbed and flowed with relative ease, a credible solution cooked up as the Hokage discussed their next move, but Kakashi hadn’t been consciously present. His thoughts kept drifting to Sakura, and the ignorant child she’d been when he’d first met her; when she still needed him to guide her, to _protect_ her.

He hadn’t protected her, in this instance. And the absolute truth of that ate at his insides. If it hadn’t been for Obito and Rin, standing behind him now, then Kakashi doubted he’d be in this office at all. He would have left and found his student himself, no matter the consequences. Kakashi would rather have the young woman he called daughter _safe_ than his position as Hokage. Even now, after he’d come to his senses, his gloved fingers were seized around the arms of his chair. He sorely wanted to go after Sakura and Hinata, but Kakashi also understood the importance of his presence in Konoha. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have only failed Sakura and Hinata, but all the innocents he vowed to protect as well.

“I intend to resolve this effective immediately,” Kakashi continued solemnly, his voice evening out.

Sasuke glared at Kakashi for another moment, before, at last, his sharingan bled away. He breathed through his nose and some of his rage seeped out of him.

“I know, sensei,” he muttered, shoulders drooping. “It’s just—this is Sakura and Hinata we’re talking about.”

Kakashi understood, of course. If he was in a near panic about this botched up mission, then he couldn’t possibly imagine what Sasuke and Naruto were going through.

Speaking of—

“You’ve been uncharacteristically quiet,” he said to Naruto, head tilting in his direction. “What’s on your mind?

He hovered at Sasuke’s elbow, his hands caught in a spasm. For a moment, Kakashi thought he might have to repeat himself before Naruto’s tenor filled the office; his voice dipped low with concern. “Why are Sasuke and I the only ones here? Shouldn’t the rest of Hinata’s team be listening to this as well?”

“Shino and Kiba will be here soon,” Rin answered, setting her hand down on Kakashi’s shoulder. “It’s the one fortunate thing about these circumstances. Unlike the two of you, Team Kurenai specialises in tracking. I calculated that Kiba and Shino will be able to cut down your search time by at least fifty percent.”

“So, you intend to send us on a retrieval mission?” Sasuke asked the Hokage and his advisors, his mismatched eyes weary.

“Of course,” Obito scoffed. It had been the only option, after all. No one in Konoha was about to relent two kunoichi of their calibre so soon—nor relent the empathy and compassion both kunoichi embodied so well. “We’re Konoha nin. Our first priority will always be to each other.”

“The Will of Fire,” Kakashi added distantly, lips relaxing into a smile under his mask.

There was a lull in the conversation as each shinobi recalled Sarutobi Hiruzen and the kind lessons he taught. He’d slipped away in his sleep a scarce six months after the Fourth Shinobi War, a loss that still weighed on their hearts. But, he’d taught them all about the Will of Fire the most; had made sure to light it in each generation he touched. The shinobi in Kakashi’s office only hoped they could do the same for the generations to be.

“In any case,” Kakashi began, clearing his throat. “I’d like the two of you, as well as Team Kurenai, to proceed with immense caution.”

Before Naruto and Sasuke could ask why, their faces creased with frowns, a coarse knock rapped on the door.

“Come in,” Kakashi called out, unsurprised.

The doorknob twisted and the remnants of Team Kurenai pushed inside. Akamaru bounded across the worn, green carpet and bunted into Naruto’s and Sasuke’s legs, as playful as always. Sasuke rubbed his fingers through the hound’s long, white fur and Naruto scratched at one of his floppy ears. Behind them, Kiba grimaced.

“Show a little more dignity, Akamaru,” he grunted, Shino sliding up behind him.

Sasuke managed a small, mischievous smile. “He’s simply acknowledging the apex predators in the room.”

“The real alphas,” Naruto added, something teasing in his eyes.

Kiba looked like he might argue, but Shino set his hand on his shoulder and reigned him back. “You wanted to see us, Hokage-sama?”

Sasuke’s smile dissolved and pain returned to Naruto’s expression.

Kiba’s argument melted off his lips. “Hokage-sama?”

Kakashi sighed. He sensed that this would be a _long_ debrief.

* * *

 

Hinata reached Shimo some hours after the blizzard died down. Her hair stuck to her frigid cheeks in thick, icy clumps, and her sandals clapped noisily against a snow-packed path. Behind her, slumped against the bowed stretch of her back, Sakura wheezed shallowly.

“Help,” she called out, a glacier-white wall standing stout and solid in front of her. “Someone.” Her lip trembled. “Someone help her!”

Hinata’s voice exploded through the trickling snow, then drifted into an eerie wind; no one in sight. Gods, she’d made it all this way and—

—a foreign chakra blipped in her peripheral, drawing Hinata’s weary byakugan in that direction. From behind a spindly copse of trees, a green-haired woman appeared; dressed in a thick, fleece white coat, Hinata wouldn’t have picked her out hadn’t she flared her chakra.

The woman, yanking her snow goggles off her face, hurried over. “Haruno-sama!”

Hinata staggered, lost her footing, and collapsed; Sakura atop of her. The hard-packed ice did nothing to cushion her fall. Her lashes fluttered, the woman’s voice now muffled against the roaring tundra of her fatigue. Quietly, she croaked a single, desperate sentence, “Save her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I owe an apology of a lifetime. I promised over and over that this chapter would be finished months ago, but alas, I broke that promise, and then I didn't have the decency to produce a long chapter. So, I am so sorry for that, especially to those who have followed along this story's journey since the start. I really do appreciate all the love and support I have received, and I'm sorry for failing you for so long. As readers, you deserve a bit more sympathy from me. However, this time, I'm not going to lie. I'm not certain when the next chapter will be released, but I vow that I am going to stubbornly stick to this fic until it runs its due course. Thank you so much for bearing with me.


	8. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys travel through Shimo to find Hinata and Sakura.

Sakura’s and Hinata’s final letter had stated that the two of them had crossed Frost’s borders last week. So, they started there. On foot, it should have taken the four young _shinobi_ a few days to reach the frigid territory, but with Sasuke’s _sharingan_ , they arrived in hours.

 _Susano’o_ waded through a low cloudbank; a lurid amethyst against the grimmer strokes of monochrome that cluttered the sky. Then, the enormous avatar tilted its’ armoured wings and dipped lower. Shino flipped his sunglasses up and into his hair, then peered, unbidden, over _susano’o’s_ flank. Beneath them, a crystalline lake shimmered; frozen solid under weak bands of sunshine.

“Just beyond that treeline, we’ll set out on foot,” Sasuke started in that coarse tenor of his.

Shino lifted his head. Sasuke stood some paces from him at _susano’o’s_ nape, and pointed towards a brittle line of trees; their branches dry with frost bite. His face was gaunt with shadow, a dark hood pulled low over his furrowed brow and lips pursed into a thin, terse line. It had been awhile since Shino had seen him so sullen. Perhaps, not since the war. His bonds with Naruto and Sakura had been fraught, then; strained to the point that Shino, and many others, worried that their generation’s pride—Team 7—would collapse.

If he remembered correctly, it almost had.

“Shino will be able to find Hinata fine. While, Akamaru and I should be able to track Sakura—granted that you have something she’s recently come into contact with,” Kiba said.

Sasuke glanced at Naruto. Seated crossed-legged at _susano’o’s_ tail, the blond had said little since they’d left Konoha. It didn’t take a genius to figure out why.

His attention returned to Kiba. “I don’t, but the _dobe_ might.”

Naruto turned into the conversation at the sound of his familiar nickname. Sasuke had never really dropped it, even after they’d slipped into each other’s beds. “What?”

“Do you have anything of Sakura’s I might be able to use to track her?” Kiba repeated with more patience than Shino had seen from him in a good, long while.

Naruto’s brow dipped. Then, slowly, he reached a hand under the thick, red folds of a knitted scarf and pulled out a low necklace from beneath his undershirt. The pendant was a crystal in a soft, muted lilac; reminiscent of the one he’d lost in the war.

“Will this work?” he asked. “Sakura gave it to me last month.”

“It might,” Kiba said, albeit hesitantly. “Can I see it?”

Naruto tugged off his scarf, then slowly pulled his necklace free. Kiba opened his palm expectantly, but the blond hesitated. “Just—be careful with it, alright? I know it’s not as expensive as the one Tsunade- _baa-chan_ gave me but it’s just as priceless.”

He nodded. “Yeah, of course. I’ll give it right back once we’re done.”

“Thank you.”

And, reluctantly, Naruto dropped the pendant into Kiba’s clawed hand.

Shino had never seen Naruto so pained before.

* * *

 

In the end, the pendant worked. Albeit, weakly. Her scent was present, yes, but it had been so faint that Kiba almost missed it. _Almost_. But, Sakura’s scent was jarring—a chemical stink splashed by a gentler, springtime wisp. However, once noticed, it was hard to lose—even through snow.

Akamaru and Shino’s swarm led them north-west.

Which told Sasuke two things.

One, Sakura and Hinata had not been separated, thankfully. And, two, Kiba and Shino were leading them straight for Shimogakure no Sato. Or, someplace close-by. Sasuke frowned. He didn’t want to assume that Shimo _shinobi_ had forged the letter that had, ultimately, dragged them out here but he was suspicious all the same.

“Be cautious,” Sasuke warned his lover and two friends. “We’re still not certain who forged the Raikage’s signature nor are we aware of their motives. If there’s a chance that the culprit is connected to Shimo in any way, then this territory isn’t safe for foreign nin.”

“If that’s the case, then there might be an ambush waiting for us at Shimo,” Shino pointed out.  

“Akamaru and I will scout the perimeter when we first arrive,” Kiba said, gloved hand buried in his hound’s thick, white fur. “We’re no _byakugan_ , but it’ll allow us a better advantage than blindly walking into a trap.”

Sasuke nodded. Team 8 were efficient, clean, seconded by no other unit in their generation. Even the combined powers of him, Naruto and Sakura weren’t as methodical as Shino, Kiba and Hinata were. It was no wonder that the Hokage Ministry had placed them, as well as Team 10 and Team Gai, on the frontlines with Team 7 during the war.

“Shimo could be a scapegoat,” Naruto suggested, suddenly.

Kiba turned and stared. “What?”

Sasuke had to admit, he hadn’t thought of that either.

“A scapegoat,” Naruto repeated, staring straight ahead. “Konoha and Shimo are on good terms and have been since before the Ministry was made. So, what possible motive would they have for kidnapping two of our best _kunoichi_?”

Slowly, Shino frowned. “Shimo or not, I think we’re missing the bigger picture here.”

Sasuke tilted his head. “And, what’s that?”

“In a matter of weeks, the Ministry has dispatched all three neo- _sannin_ ,” he said. “And, although I am not deluded enough to believe that Konoha’s security is solely dependent on the three of you, I am aware that your combined absence _does_ reduce manpower a considerable amount.”

Naruto crossed his arms, lips smacking together. “Our Ministry is still something to behold,” he reminded Shino, albeit lightly. “Plus, there are the original _sannin_. And, _j_ _ō_ _nin_ like Ibiki and Anko. If anything, Sasuke, Sakura and I safety nets under a whole bunch of other safety nets. Konoha is not defenceless without us.”

“Point taken,” Kiba noted. “But, I still think Shino is onto something here. If Konoha isn’t the target here. Then, what is?”

Sasuke’s jaw clenched. “We won’t know for sure until we reach Shimo.”

Naruto nodded. “Let’s move.”

* * *

 

Shimo was a municipality encased in a looming glacial wall. Watchtowers peaked taller still—intricately carved with narrow turrets. _Shinobi_ in padded armour and Shimo colours manned these towers, faces dry and mouths cracked from icy winds. Naruto and Sasuke were recognised on sight.

Tensing, Naruto and Sasuke stepped a few feet apart with Kiba and Shino at their backs as Shimo nin dropped down from the wall via discrete metal cables. There were about a dozen of them, all armed and weary. If he had to be honest, Naruto couldn’t much blame them. The Ministry rarely allowed _one_ neo-sannin undocumented roaming across other territories, let alone two. And, to have him and Sasuke show up, unannounced, at their doorstep would have concerned even the most careless of shinobi.

“State your business,” said an ANBU captain, the red slashes across his polar bear mask all the more distinctive against the white-blue backdrop of his homeland.

He and Sasuke shared a terse look before Naruto said, “Two Konoha kunoichi have vanished on Shimo land. Our Ministry has dispatched us to collect them.”

The ANBU’s reply was instantaneous. “That’s a lot of manpower for two measly kunoichi. The War’s heroes, sans one, and Konoha’s finest trackers—also, sans one. These kunoichi, they couldn’t possibly be—?”

“Yes,” Sasuke said, fingers tingling. Oh, what he’d give to drive a chidori right through this asshole’s chest. “Hyūga Hinata and Haruno Sakura have gone missing.”

“Your Ministry has become careless,” the ANBU observed.

“Peace,” Sasuke gritted, “can sometimes cause negligence.”

The ANBU snorted. “Perhaps,” he allowed. “However, two missing kunoichi does not explain why you have come to Shimo unannounced.”

“Our trackers have tracked them here,” Naruto said, mouth flattening into a thin, pissed off line. “And, I know they’re here. I can sense their chakra. Somewhere east within the confines of your municipality. A prison, perhaps?”

The ANBU captain laughed, big and loud, then reached for his mask. The bone fell away to reveal a smooth-skinned man with slanted eyes and pale skin.

“No,” he said, bowing deeply. “Haruno-sama and Hyūga-san are not in our prison—but they are in our hospital. They arrived here late yesterday morning with grievous wounds.”

Sasuke’s face slackened and his raised arms dropped at his sides. Then, all of his sudden, his temper flared. “You couldn’t have told us the minute we arrived?”

“Of course not,” the ANBU said. “I am a shinobi loyal to Shimo. I cannot allow just anybody to walk through these gates. I had to ascertain that you were here for the kunoichi, and not for other reasons.”

Before Sasuke could blow up a second time, Naruto caught his shoulder and pulled him back. “Let’s not bite the hand that feeds us,” he urged, then said to the ANBU, he asked, “May we see them?”

The ANBU smiled. “No.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAY. I have finally pushed this one out. It took me so long to write and I am a bit disappointed that it's not as long as I wish it was. In any case, I hope this is as enjoyable as the previous chapters and I thank you all for being patient with my sporadic updates.


	9. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alone, Hinata wakes up.

In a bare, windowless room, Hinata jerked awake.

Her breath was a shallow mist; her heart a staccato pulse. She’d swallowed her violent scream at the last possible moment but it hovered in her chest all the same; a bulbous instinct to match the blood-soaked memories burned into her mind. It was a familiar beast, this nightmare; one she’d endured on a war-torn battlefield beside her closest friends. The stink was the worst, she knew; the hot, squelching odour of dead men filling the air. That smell would never leave her.

But, the images would fade. And, after a few, stunted minutes, the images did just that.

Sitting up slowly, Hinata looked around. She sat in a hospital bed—the bars drawn up high against her flanks. Beside her, an IV drip was barbed into her forearm and a basin was set on the far side of the room. But, more importantly, Hinata was alone.

Her insides turned cold.

Where was Sakura?

* * *

“I should burn him alive for the stunt he just pulled,” Sasuke said to Naruto, his voice pitched low as the ANBU captain—Eisuke—led them into a dim corridor. “He could have just said that the two of them were in recovery. We’re ninja. We know better.”

“It’s that kind of attitude that’ll get me kicked off the candidacy programme,” Naruto said. His smile, although pleasant, was strained around the edges. “I can’t very well be Hokage with an advisor who burns someone alive because said someone is a monumental prick.”

Sasuke considered the back of Eisuke’s head. “I could singe his hair.”

“No.”

“You know,” said Eisuke, flicking an amused look over his shoulder. “I can hear you.”

“Good,” Sasuke said.

Naruto rolled his eyes. “Just, take us to Sakura.”

“Like I said before, Haruno-san will be unavailable to visitors until tomorrow morning,” Eisuke said, turning around and smiling pleasantly.

Naruto’s eye twitched. “You didn’t say that.”

“Oh? I didn’t?” Eisuke feigned innocence. “Oops!”

“If you haven’t been leading us to Sakura, where the hell have you been taking us?” Sasuke demanded, a fire building low in his chest.

“In circles, mostly.” Eisuke beamed. “You both have been interesting company.”

Sasuke’s head whipped around to Naruto. “Just a few hairs. Please.”

* * *

Shimo’s medical resources weren’t sophisticated, not like Konoha’s, but their hospital was clean and warm; painted a muted olive and floored with heated tiles. Kiba and Shino trotted after a slender Shimo-nin with sunken-in eyes and pursed lips. She had volunteered to take them to Hinata’s ward after their initial run-in with Eisuke, while the ANBU captain himself had led Naruto and Sasuke in the opposite direction.

“Haruno-sama is in our ICU, but Hyūga-sama was moved to our general wing after we ensured that ongoing supervision was no longer needed,” the slender Shimo-nin had explained when Shino had asked why Sakura and Hinata had been separated.

The general wing was the largest, set with long corridors and that weary stillness that most hospitals embodied. The Shimo-nin followed the corridors with the ease of someone familiar with this area, then turned down one that seemed no different from all the others that they’d travelled. It wasn’t until she’d pulled up short outside a room, rather abruptly at that, Shino and Kiba even knew that something had gone wrong.

“What happened?” Kiba asked, hand falling to Akamaru’s scruff.

“This is your friend’s room.” The Shimo-nin stepped aside. The door behind her was ajar. “I’d locked this door.”

Shino stilled. And, Kiba gingerly pushed open the door.

It was empty.

“Get Naruto and Sasuke,” Kiba said, hand dropping to his side. “We’ll split up and find her.”

* * *

Her chakra masked, Hinata crept through a dim corridor.

Shimo-nin loomed behind closed doors, their chakra cold and relentless—much like the frost that these shinobi called home. Hinata avoided them as best as she could, sticking to the abnormally high ceilings and crouching low as strangers turned corners and passed beneath her. Based on the assumption that Shimo were honest allies to Konoha, Hinata knew three things.

Firstly, sometime after their abrupt arrival, Hinata and Sakura were taken to Shimo’s modest, if mediocre, hospital. 

Secondly, in this same time frame, Hinata and Sakura were separated. She suspected this was because Sakura’s wounds were more urgent than Hinata’s.

Finally, and perhaps most pressing, she could be wrong.

Until she found Sakura, there was no guarantee that Shimo wasn’t involved in the attack against them. Her lips pursed. Hinata would need to move, and move fast. If Shimo were responsible for the attack, then neither she nor Sakura was safe.

* * *

In the end, however, it was much simpler than she’d expected.

Hinata had just slipped into a separate corridor, clinging to the ceiling by her toes and fingertips, when she glanced down at the man rushing towards her general direction. Her pupils exploded wide and, without much thought, she pulled out of her hands and feet, then dropped. She landed hard in a bruising crouch right in front of Uchiha Sasuke.

He jerked back, rinnegan flashing beneath his hair. “Hinata—”

She pushed off her haunches and barrelled into him, arms closing around his shoulders in a fierce embrace. Sasuke stumbled as her weight slammed into him but he caught himself at the last second, a single hand falling to her plump hip and fisting the loose fabric there. He pushed his face into her hair and breathed her in; something tight easing in his chest. Sasuke hadn’t even realised how worried he’d been over Hinata, but with her soft and pliant against his chest, he was certain that her absence had been a bigger contribution to his black mood than he’d thought.

“I have you,” he said into her hair, his hand abandoning her hip to curve around her tapered waist properly. “You’re safe.”

Squeezing him, Hinata tucked her head under his chin. He smelt like campfire and cedar wood. It shouldn’t have been pleasant, but it was. Most things about Sasuke, she knew, were.

“I’m so relieved,” she said, gently. “If you’re here, then Sakura must be safe.”

“She’s in ICU right now,” he said, getting his other arm under her knees and swinging her legs up against his side. Cradling Hinata like a bride, Sasuke turned and started down the corridor in the direction he’d come from. “But, enough about Sakura. Naruto, Kiba, Shino and I were worried sick.”

“Naruto, Kiba and Shino?” she echoed, retreating from Sasuke’s chest and looking at his face. “They’re here too?”

He snorted. “Where else would they be?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Considering how short this chapter is, I should probably apologise. I mean, I don't think I've updated since June. It's sort of insane how time has just escaped me and I've barely noticed. In any case, I hope this chapter was worthwhile, and I will (hopefully) have another chapter released before the end the month. Thank you all so much for the support, and I hope to have this fic actually finished in a few months :)


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